Understanding of breast cancer concepts in an undereducated county hospital population.

摘要

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine how well breast cancer patients at a County hospital understood breast cancer concepts and treatment at time of operation. METHODS: An 11 question multiple-choice examination was devised at a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of 5.8. This was administered to patients prior to undergoing their definitive cancer operation. RESULTS: Forty-one of 42 consecutive women agreed to participate in the study. Seventy-eight percent self identified as Hispanic and 64% had less than a High School education. For the question "Which surgery gives me a better chance to live?