Adherence to treatment in women with cancer from the "Health Beliefs Model"

Objective: To explore the barriers that lead women with cervical cancer to non-adherence to treatment from the Health Beliefs Model. Methodology. Qualitative study aimed at women diagnosed with cervical cancer, a semi-structured interview was conducted with delimited axes of analysis and conceptual categories. Results. The idea of imminent death, the physical and psychological exhaustion of the treatment, the anger towards the disease and the economic situation are the arguments recovered from the interviews, causing adherence to treatment to be compromised. Conclusions. The perceived mechanicalness of the idea of obeying the doctor, the severity/seriousness of the disease and ideas about the cost-benefit of the treatment are elements that make it impossible to adhere to it.