Information Needs of Black Prostate Cancer Patients Receiving Treatment Within the South African Public Healthcare System

INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer is the leading cancer type in black South African men. The South African public healthcare sector serves more than 84% of the population, which includes many of these men. Previous evidence suggests that patients’ information needs are influenced by culture. No studies could be found that explored the information needs of black men diagnosed with prostate cancer in a developing country from the patients’ perspectives. Therefore, this study set out to investigate the information needs of black men diagnosed with prostate cancer in a South African public healthcare setting. METHODS: Nine participants who had completed a radical course of external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer were interviewed. These participants had gained experience from their cancer journey in this setting and could therefore provide information-rich perspectives about their information needs from the time of diagnosis to end of treatment. Interviews were conducted in the participants’ preferred language, with three interviews conducted in Zulu with an English translator. RESULTS: Important themes that emerged included patients' desire to receive more information regarding what was happening in the diagnosis stage, the implications of having prostate cancer and the origin of their symptoms. The participants expressed a need to understand the potential side effects of radiation therapy, the reason for bladder filling and on-treatment set-up imaging verification. Participants also wanted to know how they should care for themselves and adjust their lifestyles, and required more information about follow-up tests and appointments. CONCLUSION: In South Africa, black men with prostate cancer expressed the need for more information about the implications of a prostate cancer diagnosis, the reasons for these treatments and what they were expected to do. They also require information about where to go and what will happen in the different parts of the healthcare system with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of the prostate cancer. Communities should also be educated about cancer to avoid misconceptions. In South Africa, healthcare workers should consider the life-worlds of black men in the public healthcare system when attending to their information needs.