Breast cancer survivors' perspectives of care practices in Western and alternative medicine.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To explore perspectives of breast cancer survivors about their care with Western medicine and alternative medicine. RESEARCH APPROACH Qualitative, ethnonursing. SETTING Cancer center in the midwestern region of the United States. PARTICIPANTS 9 breast cancer survivors who had experienced health care involving Western medicine and alternative medicine. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH Semistructured interviews were conducted to elicit each participant's perspective about care practices. Data were analyzed with an ethnonursing qualitative data analysis method. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Care practices in Western medicine and care practices in alternative medicine. FINDINGS Western medicine was seen as traditional or mainstream treatment, whereas alternative medicine was seen as anything not involving hospitals and doctors or as complementary. Perceived outcomes from alternative therapies were coping with disease and treatment, holistic care, and emotional support, whereas perceived outcomes from Western medicine were negative things that they had to go through and as an instrument of God. Kinship, social, economical, educational, and belief factors influenced care practices. CONCLUSIONS Care practices from alternative medicine or Western medicine vary for breast cancer survivors. Many factors influence their selection decisions about care practices. INTERPRETATION Nurses should be concerned about what care practices mean to breast cancer survivors. Further research should be considered to evaluate the potential contribution of each factor to breast cancer survivors' decision making about care practices.