Cancer patients report having a high need for cancer information. Several studies show that the majority of patients surveyed report preferring information from the American Cancer Society (ACS). Ranging up to 129 pages, the ACS’ Detailed Guides (DG) are widely distributed throughout the United States, and offer patients an authoritative guide to help patients navigate the difficult terrain of the cancer journey. This dissertation examines the ACS’ cervical, endometrial, ovarian, penile, prostate, testicular, and vaginal cancer guides. Through a rhetorical analysis of the 7 guides, it was shown that the ACS DGs in question foster gendered narratives that strictly limit the type, range, and quality of information offered to cancer patients. These limitations and their resulting exclusions pose serious risks of misinformation and isolation among vulnerable patient populations with high information needs. Three recommendations are offered to help mitigate the issues identified within the ACS DGs, to improve the quality of information offered in the DGs, and to subsequently help improve patient quality of life.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:USF/oai:scholarcommons.usf.edu:etd-7374 |
| Date | 08 April 2016 |
| Creators | Bartell, Joanna |
| Publisher | Scholar Commons |
| Source Sets | University of South Flordia |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Graduate Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | default |
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