‘I can’t see what that path looks like’: making sense of help-seeking among women with breast cancer in rural and urban Scotland – an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

The aim of the present study was to explore these experiences among women living with breast cancer in rural and urban Scotland. A qualitative design was employed and analysed via Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).

Seven women diagnosed with breast cancer were recruited via Breast Cancer Now and participated in semi-structured online interviews exploring symptom recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and support. Three interconnected themes were identified: (i) experiencing care as shaped by uneven geography and its consequences, (ii) assembling support beyond primary care, and (iii) navigating an opaque healthcare system. Geographical variation in service accessibility, hidden financial/emotional costs of accessing care, and reliance on informal and external support networks influenced help-seeking.