Barriers to breast cancer screening in Australia : experiences of women with physical disabilities

Aims and objectives: To explore the experiences of breast cancer screening for women with physical disabilities. Background: Despite women with disabilities having the same or greater risk of having breast cancer than women without disabilities, they are less likely to uptake breast cancer screening services. Design: Qualitative descriptive study. Methods: Twelve women with physical disabilities were recruited for the purpose of this study. Data were collected via semi-structured face to face or telephone interviews. Interviews were transcribed and data were analysed thematically. Results: Overwhelmingly, participants conveyed that their breast screening experiences were negative. The following four themes describe the experiences of breast cancer screening for women with physical disabilities: feeling I'm not in control; being ignored and not listened to; being helpless, alone and afraid and experiencing pain, torture and humiliation. Conclusions: Women with physical disabilities experience substantial barriers to breast cancer screening. This research highlights that the attitudes and poor communication skills of health professionals served as a deterrent to future screening for participants. Relevance to clinical practice: By exploring experiences of women with physical disabilities of breast cancer screening, nurses and other health-care professionals can use this to develop and implement optimal approaches, such as collaborative models of care which empower women with disabilities.