Australian women's perceptions of a specialist breast nurse model

Abstract

Barbara Liebert was formerly at the National Breast Cancer Centre; Dr Susan Furber has a conjoint position at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of NSW.The aim of this study was to evaluate Australian women's perceptions of the specialist breast nurse (SBN) modeldeveloped by the National Breast Cancer Centre. Two hundred and forty women evaluated the care they received from a SBN. The SBN was perceived as a valuable link between women and the multi-disciplinary team, with continuity of care being rated as a major benefit. Over 80% of women reported the SBN to be effective in providing information and emotional support. There is a need to consider the establishment of SBN positions in treatment centres for breast cancer in Australia.