Healthcare Professionals' Experiences and Perspectives on Self-Management Education for Breast Cancer Survivors in Australian Primary Care: A Qualitative Study.

Purpose: Breast cancer has been recognised as a chronic condition, with survivors experiencing long-term physical and psychosocial effects following treatment. Supporting breast cancer survivors to self-manage their health can optimise health-related quality of life and reduce symptom burden. Self-management education (SME) has been advocated at the policy and programme level in Australian primary care, but its uptake is often limited. This study explores healthcare professionals' (HCPs) experiences and perceptions of SME in primary care, aiming to identify factors influencing its implementation and to support survivorship care for breast cancer survivors in Australia.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted involving in-depth semi-structured interviews. Convenience sampling was used to recruit HCPs across the three primary care clinics in the Greater Brisbane area. The interviews were conducted based on an interview guide. Each interview was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Descriptive content analysis was used to analyse the data.

Results

Fourteen participants were interviewed across three primary care settings, including five general practitioners and nine registered nurses. Three categories were synthesised from the data: (1) Meaning and role of SM/SME; (2) Suboptimal SME in current practice; (3) Perceived factors impacting SME delivery in practice. Each category had two to six subcategories for the participants.

Conclusions

The findings highlighted the importance and perceived benefits of SME for breast cancer survivors and HCPs in Australian primary care. However, the integration of SME into primary care remained suboptimal due to a combination of systemic, organisational, and healthcare provider factors. Evidence-based resources, particularly guidelines and training, are essential to equip HCPs to effectively integrate SME into routine care for breast cancer survivors.