Long-term quality of life in breast cancer patients has been studied and published regularly. However, the lived experiences of patients who develop complications after surgery are not well understood. Determining this experience of patients is challenging in most low- and middle-income countries where the majority of patients belong to poor strata of society and are uneducated. We aimed to explore the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of patients with surgery-related complications after breast cancer surgery. Purposive sampling was used to identify patients who developed any postoperative complication, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Common patterns of patient experiences were identified and analyzed using descriptive thematic analysis. Twenty-eight patients out of 210 developing complications postoperatively were identified. The median age was 48 years (range 32-65 years). The majority (n = 26) were housewives, educated below the primary level (n = 11) and below the poverty line (n = 13). Complications included seroma (n = 17), flap necrosis and infection (n = 5), and hematoma (n = 1). Seven domains emerged from the interviews-knowledge of complications, psychological impact, burden, disruptiveness, social impact, relationship with the surgical team, and suggestions to improve the experience. The themes identified in the present study provide insights into the lived experiences and can inform the future development of patient-reported outcome measures and quality improvement programs, including more effective pre-operative counseling and consent.
Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13193-023-01721-z.
Keywords: Breast cancer; Breast conservation surgery; Modified radical mastectomy; Quality of life.
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