Decision tree model of the treatment-seeking behaviors among Korean cancer patients.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a decision tree model of the treatment-seeking behaviors among Korean cancer patients. The study used methodological triangulation, applying the cognitive ethnographic decision tree modeling approach. The model was developed based on qualitative data collected from in-depth interviews with 29 cancer patients. The model was tested using qualitative and quantitative data collected from interviews and a structured questionnaire involving 165 cancer patients. The predictability of the decision tree model was quantified as the proportion of participants who followed the pathway predicted by the model. Two models were developed, the first for decision making about when to visit a doctor after detecting symptoms, and the second for decision making about treatment type following the diagnosis. Decision outcomes for the first model were categorized into immediate visit and delayed visit. The first model was influenced by the perceived seriousness of symptoms, the experiences of visiting a doctor previously with similar symptoms, social-group influences on visiting a doctor, and barriers to visiting a doctor. Decision outcomes for the second model were hospital treatment only, and a mixture of hospital treatment and alternative therapies. The second model was influenced by curability, social-group influences on alternative therapies, and confidence in alternative therapies. The predictabilities of the 2 models were 90.3% and 94.5%, respectively. This study result can help nurses understand the treatment-seeking behaviors of cancer patients, and hence develop nursing intervention strategies.