Abstract
Objectives : This paper aims to review the literature on information use, information resources and related difficulties faced by breast cancer patients in Japan.
Methods : We conducted a database search for studies that focused on patients’ information use. We used the Japanese databases Ichushi (1983 ∼ 2010) and CiNii, wherein search terms were the Japanese words “nyugan, ” “kanja,” and “jouhou” in Japanese, and the English databases Medline (1948 ∼ 2010) and CINAHL (1982 ∼ 2010), wherein search terms were “breast cancer,” “patient,” “information,&lrdquo; and “Japan.”
Results : We obtained 30 studies, including 9 on informational needs, 12 on difficulties in using information, and 21 on informational resources. Information needs includes not only medical information but self-care and psychological issues as well. Patients used various informational resources, though one study stated that the most reliable resource was a doctor.
Conclusion : Patients could not meet their informational needs by only health care providers. The reasons why patients have difficulties in using information were not being informed about the usage of information, lack in the communication competency of healthcare providers, and disregard of narratives, as well as shortage of information itself. Lack of health literacy in patients was also considered to be a major challenge.
