Background: A cancer patient demands information, not only to assist him to understand the disease and its treatment, but also to allow him to interpret the negative events and action taken, through the course of disease, so that the threat inherent
from the diagnosis and treatment becomes lessened.
Methods: With the goal of studying the information needs and source of information of women with breast cancer who were receiving chemotherapy, 60 patients were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire which consists of 47 item about information needs and 3 questions about sources of information with three choices (personnel, printed materials and mass media). They fill it at the early stage of their chemotherapy treatment.
Results :The results showed that the majority of patients reported high level of information needs. Cancer and its spread, treatment, and side effects of chemotherapy as well as its management were priority information needs, in addition to the possibility of cancer occurrence among sisters and daughters. Results also demonstrated that the patients depended on doctors and other patients as sources of information more than on nurses and the internet.
Conclusion: Findings indicate that there is a need for the provision of education program that addresses patients' information needs. Moreover, there is a necessity for ascertaining the role of educational nursing in affording holistic nursing care for breast cancer patien
