Listening to Women’s Voices: Using an Adapted Photovoice Methodology to Access Their Emotional Responses to Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer

Abstract

Introduction: The emotional impact of a diagnosis of breast cancer in women and listening to their affective needs is not widely reported in the literature. Recent policies globally emphasize the importance of incorporating patients’ views in treatment. The aim of the study was to provide insights for health care professionals and make recommendations based on patients’ experiences. Breast cancer survivorship is increasing, but the long-term support needs of such women are less understood. Method: This exploratory study asked 20 white women from 2 urban centers in the UK about their experience of diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. It used an adaptation of the photovoice methodology to examine a health issue and identify issues of importance and relevance to patients. It recognizes their expertise in their situation. Results: The themes identified were: Fear/Shock; Waiting; Lack of Control; Communication/Practicalities; Body image changes; Specialist versus nonspecialist Centers/Staff; and Ongoing Support. Discussion: The women provided images, with a written summary of their meaning, and discussed them in groups. They identified good practice and suggestions for how to improve the experience of diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Conclusion: The photovoice methodology provides a low-cost, easy to implement a way for patients to provide insight into their experience and contribute their knowledge to improve clinical practice. Visual images and patients’ words allow clinicians to have greater insight into the environment and priorities of patients which could have implications for their response to treatment and long-term care.

Confined Students: A Visual-Emotional Analysis of Study and Rest Spaces in the Homes

“…Photovoice is based on the community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach [ 26 ], where, in addition, individual reflection is promoted and does not need the guidance of the main researcher [ 27 ], supporting the discourse based on images created by participants, with contextual narrative [ 28 ].…”

“…Other adaptations are based on the use of other graphic expressions to provoke individual and/or group discourse, such as photo-elicitation [ 31 ], which promotes the use of photographs taken from other sources, or the use of other graphics, such as drawings by the participants themselves [ 32 ], validating its use as detection even of other problems [ 33 ]. This would allow participation without the need for cameras [ 27 ]. This adaptation has been used to know, for example, the criterion of comfort in teaching classrooms by adolescent students, in southern Europe [ 34 ], based on the capacity of the non-adult population, of the age range 12–16 years, to generally develop, in an acceptable way, abstract descriptions about the built environment, its characteristics, and the sensations and emotions that their relationship with these spaces provoke [ 35 ].…”

Use of photo methods in research studies with cancer survivors and their caregivers: a scoping review

“…However, it is possible that such outcomes may be forthcoming in a future paper. 19 Advocacy event featuring 27 curated photovoice images in order to report ndings to local health and community leaders and media Edwards, 2018 22 Photographs have been used in a variety of settings including public exhibitions, policy advocation, information brochures, and a cancer advocacy toolkit Morrison, 2014 27 Photographs alongside survivors' descriptive narratives presented to physicians and industry stakeholders in order to enhance support for return-to-work Mosavel, 2010 30 Public photo exhibit of selected images used in the photovoice project; event attended by health providers, community stakeholders, cancer survivors, and caregivers López, 2005 34 Forum event led by its participants in which they presented their photographs and formed community taskforces in order to address the issues identi ed during the study Poudrier, 2009 37 Participants in the study have developed relationships with community advocates and held several information dissemination initiatives Discussion Although only one of the studies aimed to build an intervention based on photo methods, many other studies reported anecdotal participant bene t. These bene ts included processing their experience with cancer [10], feeling empowered and supported [22,31], improvements in psychosocial stressors [28], and facilitation of discussions of topics that participants otherwise would have thought to be inappropriate to discuss with others [34]. However, since these outcomes were not quantitatively assessed, the extent to which photo methods serve as an intervention in a cancer population remains unknown.…”

Risco de Lesões Músculo Esqueléticas nos Enfermeiros: Contributos do Photovoice

“…Esta estratégia de investigação de ação participativa é cada vez mais valorizada na área da saúde (Capewell et al, 2020;Santos et al, 2018;Werremeyer et al, 2020) e na formação em enfermagem (Andina-Díaz, 2020), pelo desenvolvimento de competências de comunicação e de intervenção. Deste modo, para responder à questão de investigação: Qual a percepção dos estudantes sobre o risco de LMELT na sua prática clínica?…”