The characteristics of delay of help seeking behavior and nursing care strategy in the small remote islands

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K19064
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 58060:Clinical nursing-related
• Research Institution: Okinawa Prefectural College of Nursing
• Principal Investigator: Oshiro Mariko 沖縄県立看護大学, 看護学部, 准教授 (30776860)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 乳がん / 離島 / 受診遅延 / 看護援助

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study clarifies the characteristics of delayed help seeking behavior and related elements in breast cancer patients living on small remote islands, and constructs the characteristics of nursing care strategies in such islands. Factors that delayed help seeking were: 1) having never previously undergone breast cancer screening, 2) having symptoms whose appearance cannot be linked to breast cancer, 3) having limited availability of medical resources on the island, and 4) Disclosing the situation only to the family. The member of breast cancer patient groups, a hospital, Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) and researcher discussed relevant nursing care strategies to address the delays in help seeking behavior, whereby two strategies were identified providing updated information related to breast cancer, and providing space and opportunity for consultation with professional medical care providers.

Free Research Field

がん看護

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

離島に居住する乳がん患者の受診遅延の行動とその関連要素、看護援助が明確になることで、医療資源の乏しい離島においても、受診が遅延することなく、適切に受診を促すことにつながるものと考える。また、受診遅延者が受診に際して抱える問題は、治療開始後も引き続き存在することから、予防の視点のみならず、離島に居住する乳がん患者の治療継続をサポートする上でも活用できる。国内外の先行研究を概観しても、離島における受診行動に関する研究蓄積は乏しいことから、本研究を基盤にさらなる発展が期待される。