• Mei R Fu.
• College of Nursing, New York University, New York, NY 10003-6677, USA. mf67@nyu.edu
• Cancer Nurs. 2005 Nov 1; 28 (6): 446-57; quiz 458-9.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to describe the experience of managing lymphedema in breast cancer survivors. A descriptive phenomenological method was used as a guide for developing a bracket, gathering data, and analyzing data. A cross-sectional design with a purposive sampling technique was employed. During the 3 private, semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews with each woman, 12 breast cancer survivors described how they managed lymphedema in their daily lives. A taxonomy of 3 levels was created to describe the essential structures of the experience from general, to mediating, to specific: revelatory intention, cluster intention, and unit intention. The study revealed that the women's major intentions of managing lymphedema were to keep in mind the consequences, prevent lymphedema from getting worse, get ready to live with lymphedema, and integrate the care of lymphedema into daily life. Findings of the study provided an insightful alternative to the compliance approach to lymphedema management. Instead of merely evaluating breast cancer survivors' degree of compliance with treatment, it is suggested that researchers and practitioners should also assess the impact of the presence or absence of the women's intentions on lymphedema management.

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