Cancer warriors sharing personal experiences

Abstract

Patients sharing their illness experiences can help members of the general population to adopt measures to prevent contracting similar diseases and also improve the treatment and management outcomes of those who are sick. In this study, experiences shared by cancer patients and survivors were used to establish the appropriateness of narratives in promoting cancer literacy, as well as in describing adherence to set policies on cancer treatment and management. Anchored on the Health Belief Model, this study analysed sampled Daily Nation newspaper articles sharing the experiences of cancer patients and survivors in Kenya. The data was analysed using content analysis and compared with guidelines in national policies on cancer and the Setting Perception Invitation or Information Knowledge Empathy Summarize or Strategize (SPIKES) protocol for breaking bad news. The key findings suggest that the narratives effectively captured critical aspects on cancer literacy including detection of symptoms, diagnosis, communication of results, palliative care and treatment and management. A lack of counselling before disclosing the results of cancer diagnosis and instances of absence of shared decision making in the treatment process indicated non-adherence to national policies on cancer treatment as well as the SPIKES protocol.