Poster Presentation
Monday, November 5, 2007
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Monday, November 5, 2007
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Women's Rehabilitation Experiences Following Breast Cancer Surgery
Beverly S. Reigle, PhD, RN, USA
| Learning Objective #1: Discuss the post-operative rehabilitation experiences of breast cancer survivors. |
| Learning Objective #2: Describe the current exercise behaviors of breast cancer survivors. |
Over two million women are survivors of breast cancer. Most of these women have undergone surgery as their primary treatment followed by one or more adjuvant therapies such as chemotherapy, irradiation, and hormonal therapy. Both the disease and treatments are an assault to their bodies impacting both functional ability and quality of life. In addition to sequelae common to other cancer survivors such as pain, nausea, vomiting, hair loss, depression, and poor body image; breast cancer survivors face additional challenges such as decreased upper body flexibility and strength, osteoporosis, adhesive capsulitis, and lymphedema. A rehabilitation program has the potential of preventing post-operative complications, increasing functional ability and positively impacting quality of life. However, no national breast cancer rehabilitation guidelines exist that address the type, frequency and intensity of post-operative exercises. Additionally, the literature offers a paucity of information about the exercise experiences of women following breast cancer surgery. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the rehabilitation experiences of women following breast cancer surgery. The research questions are: (a) what is the rehabilitation experience of women following breast cancer surgery, (b) is there a relationship between rehabilitation exercises and functional ability in women following breast cancer surgery, and (c) what are the current exercise behaviors of women who are breast cancer survivors. The descriptive-correlational design will use a nonprobability sample of convenience. Women who meet the eligibility criteria and are listed in the Breast Cancer Registry of Greater Cincinnati database will be recruited by mail. A letter of invitation, an informed consent, and the researcher-developed Breast Cancer Survivor Exercise Questionnaire will be mailed to approximately 1300 women. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and measurements of association such as coefficient of concordance.