Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Health Services
Advisor
Dr. Magdeline Aagard
Abstract
There has been a lack of consistent access to breast cancer care and treatment for women in developing countries, especially in Sierra Leone. Limited access to breast cancer care and treatment is a significant problem for women diagnosed in the later stages of the disease. The purpose of this research was to understand the experiences of women diagnosed with different stages of breast cancer, how they went about accessing breast cancer care and treatment, and how those experiences can be used to improve access to breast cancer treatment in Sierra Leone. Andersen and Newman’s healthcare utilization model guided the study’s conceptual framework. This conceptual framework was appropriate for the research because it explains how three factors of enabling, predisposing, and need are used to determine an individual’s ability to utilize health care. A qualitative, descriptive phenomenological research design was used for this study to understand the experiences of women in Sierra Leone with predisposing, enabling, and need factors when accessing breast cancer treatment. Data were analyzed using content analysis with ATLAS. ti software to assist in organizing unstructured information. The key conclusions of this study are that receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer is difficult, there is a lack of access to breast cancer care and treatment, the cost of breast cancer care and treatment is high, and there is varied quality of care in Sierra Leone. A comprehensive plan to promote access to breast cancer care that is affordable and provides high-quality care could positively change these women’s lives in Sierra Leone.
Recommended Citation
Neville, Anne, "Experiences of Women in Sierra Leone Relating to Accessing Breast Cancer Treatment" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13641.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13641
