Transition of Women's Perceptions of Health Status When Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

Purpose: To model the transition process of the perceptions of health and illness of women with breast cancer.

Methods: Grounded Theory as been selected as the research design to study the process of becoming ill from a breast cancer and to detail the phases that women pass through.

Results: The 32 semi-structured interviews conducted with women suffering from a breast cancer revealed that they don't feel sick from the breast cancer and that there is a drastic illness perceptions shit between before their diagnosis and after the treatments which is influenced by the transition process they experience.

Conclusion: This research permits a better comprehension of women's breast cancer perceptions, the different phases they pass through, the meaning they attribute to it, their help seeking behaviors and their health care system appreciation. These findings add to the knowledge on women’s experience with breast cancer and offer guidelines to incorporate patient-centered care along the chronic illness trajectory.