Information Needs Of Women Research Articles

Experiences, Knowledge Gaps and Information Needs of Women in Australia with Transfusion Dependent Thalassaemia in Regard to Fertility and Pregnancy

ObjectivesTransfusion dependent β-thalassaemia can have significant effects on fertility and is also associated with significant risks in pregnancy. However, little is known about the perspectives of women living with the condition with regards to reproductive issues. The aim of this study was to assess the experience, knowledge and information needs of Australian women living with transfusion dependent β-thalassaemia in relation to fertility and pregnancy.MethodsA cross sectional study using an online anonymous survey, self-administered through REDCap, addressing key issues related to the experience, knowledge and information needs of women with transfusion dependent β-thalassaemia. Descriptive and inferential analysis was conducted using STATA.ResultsSixty participants were included in the analysis. Two-thirds of sexually active, pre-menopausal women were using contraception. Just under half of the participants who were sexually active had children and half had required some form of assisted reproductive technology to achieve a pregnancy. Less than half identified the importance of contraception as part of ensuring optimised pre-pregnancy care, and less than half had accessed pre-pregnancy care. Although there was good understanding of the increased risk of infertility and pregnancy complications, the specific risks and causes of these risks were poorly understood. Around half of the participants indicated they wanted more information on these medical issues.Conclusions for practiceOur study demonstrated significant concerns and knowledge gaps in Australian women with transfusion dependent β-thalassaemia with regards to disease-specific issues related to fertility and pregnancy, and a desire for related patient information.

Information Needs of Women Regarding Health and Hygiene Practices

Information is a source of power and is important for individual growth and survival. Information about health and hygiene is crucial because it influences an individual’s quality of life. As far as health and hygiene practices are concerned, women play an active role in getting information about these; hence there is a need to study their information needs regarding health and hygiene. After finding out the needs of women regarding these aspects, accordingly information can be made accessible to them. Keeping this into account, the present study was conducted in Ludhiana district of Punjab. Data was taken from 200 rural and urban women of 25-50 years, by the help of an interview schedule. Health and hygiene practices were studied under three categories as personal, food related and household health and hygiene practices. Information needs were studied on a three point continuum i.e. highly needed, somewhat needed and not needed. Results of the study showed that under personal health and hygiene practice, information on hair care and obesity was most needed. The most needed information regarding food related health and hygiene was on low cost nutritious recipes. The major information need reported by the respondents was related to control of insects and pests in case of household health and hygiene practices and majority of the respondents had low level of information need for all health and hygiene practices. Information needs of the women were positively related with their education and mass media exposure, whereas age was negatively correlated with the information needs of women. Consequently, there is a need to educate women regarding health and hygiene practices through effective communication methods, so that they can realize the importance and need for information on these topics.

Information Needs of Women with Breast Cancer: A Review of the Literature

Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and a serious concern for women's health. Providing sufficient information to these patients increases the level of their participation and improves the quality of their care. Therefore, given the high survival rate of this cancer, it is necessary to understand their information needs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the information needs of women with breast cancer.Material and Methods: The study is a systematic review of the literature. A search of the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct and ProQuest has been conducted on studies published in English over the period 2010-2017. 2881 articles were retrieved and evaluated for title, abstract and full text and after eliminating duplicate and unrelated cases, 18 articles related to the purpose of the study were selected. The articles were then analyzed using content analysis.Results: Of the 2881 retrieved articles, 18 studies on the information needs of patients with breast cancer were finally reviewed. According to these studies, most information needs were in the areas of diagnosis and treatment (first rank), daily activities (second rank), disease acceptance and self-image (third rank), personal and family life (fourth rank) and sexual health (fifth rank). The most important information needs in the field of diagnosis and treatment was outcomes and side effects of treatment, in the area of daily activities on the impact of disease on social activity, in the area of disease acceptance and self-image was breast reconstruction, body appearance and need for consultation, in the area of personal life, cancer risk for the family and in the area of sexual health was the effect of cancer on sexual attraction were the most cited needs.Conclusion:Providing information to patients is one of the most important factors in supporting cancer care and understanding the information needs is the first step in seeking information. Patients with breast cancer are interested in receiving information that will help them understand cancer, make decisions about it, and manage their treatment.

Symptoms Experienced and Information Needs of Women Receiving Chemotherapy

Objective:This study is carried out to determine the symptoms and information necessity on chemotherapy (CT) treatment of the women with breast cancer.Methods:A total of 170 women older than 18 years old, who receive CT with breast cancer diagnosis, are volunteered to participate in the study. Mixed method was used in the study. Data are collected using Descriptive Data Form, Interview Form and Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale.Results:As a result of the cluster analysis, four clusters and the symptoms within have been obtained. These are: pain, lack of energy, feeling drowsy, sweat, swelling of hands, and feet in the first cluster; feeling nervous, difficulty sleeping, feeling sad, worrying in the second cluster; nausea, feeling bloating, change in the way food tastes, hair loss, constipation in the third cluster; vomiting, diarrhea, problems with sexual interest, lack of appetite, dizziness, and weight loss in the forth cluster. Women's information necessity related to the CT are follows: the effects of CT, other treatment options beyond CT, complementary methods, the effect of the CT treatment on reproductive health and sexuality, nutrition, and symptom control.Conclusions:The results of this study will enable determination of symptom clusters, which health professionals are easier to focus on these symptoms. An understanding information need of patients can help to ensure that individual's coping strategies and self-management.

A Patient-centered Approach to Evaluate the Information Needs of Women With Ductal Carcinoma In Situ.

To evaluate the information needs of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) patients. Four focus groups involving 24 previously treated DCIS patients were conducted to develop a comprehensive list of questions they felt were important to have answered at the time of diagnosis. Using a survey, a separate group of patients treated for DCIS then rated the importance of having each of these questions addressed before treatment decision making. Response options were "essential," "desired," "not important," "no opinion," and "avoid." For each essential/desired question, respondents specified how addressing it would help them: "understand," "decide," "plan," "not sure," or "other." Focus group participants generated 117 questions used in the survey. Fifty-seven patients completed the survey (55% response rate). Respondents rated a median of 66 questions as essential. The most commonly cited reason for rating a question essential was to "understand," followed by to "decide." The top questions women deemed essential to help them understand were disease specific, whereas the top questions deemed essential to help women decide were predominantly treatment specific, pertaining to available options, recurrence and survival outcomes, and timelines to decide and start treatment. DCIS patients want a large number of questions answered, mostly for understanding, and also for deciding and planning. A core set of questions that most patients consider essential for decision making has been formulated and may be used in the clinical setting and in research to develop educational resources and decision-making tools specific to DCIS.

Communication and Information Needs of Women Diagnosed With Ovarian Cancer Regarding Treatment-Focused Genetic Testing

To identify women's information and communication preferences about treatment-focused genetic testing (TFGT) in the ovarian cancer context. A qualitative interview study. Two familial cancer services and a gynecologic oncology clinic at a major teaching hospital in Australia. 22 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer who had either advanced disease and had previously undergone TFGT (n = 12) or had been diagnosed in the previous 6-20 weeks with ovarian cancer and had not undergone TFGT (n = 10). Participants were interviewed individually about actual and hypothetical views of TFGT. The interviews were transcribed and organized into themes using qualitative analysis software. Most women wanted to be informed about TFGT prior to their surgery for ovarian cancer. The majority preferred to receive the information verbally; slightly more women preferred their medical oncologist to deliver the information compared to a genetic specialist or oncology nurse. Women preferred the focus of pretest information to be on them and their treatment. Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer want information about genetic testing early with focus placed on the potential benefits of genetic testing on treatment. The findings of this study provide much-needed guidance to oncology nurses and other oncology healthcare professionals about when, what, and how information about TFGT should be delivered to patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Supportive patient education materials now need to be developed to assist these women in making informed decisions about genetic testing. Knowing that women do want TFGT, how they want it presented and by whom, and the content and level of detail that women want means that TFGT can now be presented as an option to women newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer, which may influence firstline treatment. The findings also provide the knowledge required to prepare education tools to assist oncology nurses involved in frontline care.

378 The Support and Information Needs of Women with Advanced Breast Cancer

378 The Support and Information Needs of Women with Advanced Breast Cancer

Public Library Services and the Information Needs of Women in Northern Nigeria.

Nigeria was a British colony that became independent in 1960. It is the most populous state in Africa. Northern Nigeria comprises of 62% of Nigeria’s land mass and 53.7% of the national population. Majority of the people in northern Nigeria are Muslims and the culture of these people reflects largely Islamic influences. Western-style education was introduced into the southern part of Nigeria by Christian missionaries in the mid 1800th. On the other hand, it took the Europeans another 64 years to establish the first primary school in the north in 1907. European form of education was initially rejected by the people of the north regarding it as a threat to their culture and religion. For many years people were not willing to send their children (especially girls) to those schools. Early marriage was popularly supported by most families and large percentages of girls were rarely allowed to attend formal western schools or go beyond primary school education. As such, greater percentage of the population but most especially the female population in Northern Nigeria could not read. Public Libraries in northern Nigeria were also rejected as alien by the community because they were stocked by the British with documents written in the English Language. Very few people could read at that time and the few that could, only read documents written in Arabic. After independence, the aspiration to develop and the desire for education encouraged political leaders of Northern Nigeria to build more schools in towns and villages and girls were encouraged to attend. Within thirty years after independence, the numbers of pupils (especially females) in all educational institutions have increased tremendously in the region. The increase in literacy among the population increased the level of library utilisation and this encouraged the governments of northern Nigeria to increase their support for libraries.

A Comparison of the Information Needs of Women Newly Diagnosed With Breast Cancer in Malaysia and the United Kingdom

Little is known about the information needs of women with breast cancer in non-Western societies. This study examined the priority information needs of 100 women with breast cancer in Malaysia and compared the findings to previous work involving 150 women diagnosed with breast cancer in the United Kingdom. The study used a valid and reliable measure, the Information Needs Questionnaire (INQ). The INQ contained 9 items of information related to physical, psychological, and social care, used successfully in Canada and the United Kingdom. The INQ was shown to have cross-cultural relevance and sensitivity. For Malaysian women, information about likelihood of cure, sexual attractiveness, and spread of disease were the most important information needs. For UK women, similar priorities were evident, apart from the item on sexual attractiveness, which was ranked much lower by women in the United Kingdom. The cultural similarities and differences that emerged from this study have implications for nurses in the cancer field caring for people from a diversity of cultural backgrounds. Breast care nurses are not a feature of the Malaysian healthcare system, although the findings from this study support the view that specialist nurses have a vital role to play in meeting the psychosocial needs of women with breast cancer in non-Western societies.

Information Needs of Women in Small Businesses in Botswana

This small, exploratory study investigates information needs of women in small businesses in Botswana in order to establish how these needs arise, and factors which influence information seeking habits. The methodology employed was structured interviews. Stratified sampling was used to target women in the small business sector. Institutions, which serve the small business sector, were also consulted. The identified information needs were business management, sources of financial assistance, business diversification and legal information. The study also found that women obtain most of their business information through informal channels and that women lack awareness of formal information resources. The study makes recommendations on how to design an appropriate information service for women in small businesses.

Information Needs of Women in Small Businesses in Botswana

This small, exploratory study investigates information needs of women in small businesses in Botswana in order to establish how these needs arise, and factors which influence information seeking habits. The methodology employed was structured interviews. Stratified sampling was used to target women in the small business sector. Institutions, which serve the small business sector, were also consulted. The identified information needs were business management, sources of financial assistance, business diversification and legal information. The study also found that women obtain most of their business information through informal channels and that women lack awareness of formal information resources. The study makes recommendations on how to design an appropriate information service for women in small businesses.

Determining the Information Needs of Women After Breast Biopsy Procedures

A focus group research study was conducted at a Canadian community hospital breast clinic to determine information needs of women who had experienced surgical breast biopsy procedures with benign results. Nine breast clinic patients who had benign breast biopsy results provided the researcher with findings related to this experience. The patients determined what they believed were the nine most important information needs during the diagnostic phase of a breast lump evaluation. These information needs emerged from the types of benign breast disease, the meaning of risk associated with benign breast disease developing into breast cancer, and the tests required to diagnose and treat benign breast disease. Perioperative nurses can use this information to plan and assess the care provided to women undergoing breast biopsy procedures.