Decisions, decisions: experiences of women who have undergone an elective hysterectomy in the northern interior health region of British Columbia

The lived experiences of women are often not heard or are dismissed, especially within the realm of health care. This is a fundamental flaw of the system since lived experience reveals a great deal about the context, relationship and structure of women lives and the health care decisions that they may need to make. Such information would be of benefit to health care providers who seek to provide quality care and service to women and who wish to promote partnership and shared decision making. This study explores and describes women's lived decision-making experiences of elective hysterectomy. Elective hysterectomies are performed on countless numbers of women in Canada every year. However, there remains much controversy about the necessity for the surgery given the advances to medical treatments and more conservative surgery options available. Decision making thus becomes a challenge. This study was conducted from a feminist phenomenological perspective. It takes place within the boundaries of the Northern Interior Health Region of British Columbia. Purposive sampling was used to select the eleven women. The interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and data were analysed to uncover the essential themes or "essence" of the experience. The fundamental theme describing the decision-making experience was: "You need to do what's right for you". Supporting or connecting themes that emerged were: setting the stage, experiences of the body, involvement with doctors, alternatives and choices, knowledge is key, figuring it out, reflections of the North and outcomes. The study found that women's decision-making experiences within the Northern Interior Health Region were indeed challenging, complex, and multi-layered. Issues related to relationships with doctors, locale, and access to information and resources emerged. The implications for social work practice include education, support and advocacy for women, their partners and doctors. This study was funded by the BC Centre of Excellence for Women's Health, a project of Health Canada.