Care Practices used by Women with Cancer in Kleinman’s Health Care Sectors: an Integrative Review
Published 2026-11-03
Keywords
- Traditional Medicine; Neoplasms; Women; Complementary Therapies; Informal Sector
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2026 Andriele Ferreira Falcão, Stefanie Griebeler Oliveira, Fernanda Einsenhardt de Mello, Karen Soares Porto, Ágata Fernandes Justin
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Objective
To understand, based on the scientific literature, the care practices used by women with cancer across different health care sectors, according to Arthur Kleinman’s theoretical framework.
Method
An integrative review was conducted in the SciELO, LILACS, Scopus, and CINAHL databases, using search strategies that combined terms related to health, women, cancer, traditional medicine, and popular medicine through the Boolean operators AND and OR. A total of 5,072 records were identified and, after the selection process and assessment of reporting completeness using the COREQ checklist, 14 articles were included in the final sample. Data were analyzed using directed content analysis, based on Arthur Kleinman’s theoretical framework.
Results
The studies showed that women with cancer mobilize care practices within the popular, folk, and professional sectors, with a predominance of the professional sector, especially through oncological treatments and physiotherapy care. In the popular sector, self-care, spirituality, family support, diet, and the use of medicinal plants stood out. In the folk sector, practices such as herbal mixtures, teas, and guidance from healers or prayer healers were identified. The intersections between the sectors revealed that these forms of care may occur concomitantly, complementarily, or progressively throughout the therapeutic itinerary.
Conclusion
It was evidenced that women with cancer mobilize care practices within the professional, popular, and folk sectors, with a predominance of biomedical care, but also with the presence of spiritual, family-based, traditional, and self-care practices. The findings reinforce the need for comprehensive, humanized, and culturally sensitive nursing care, capable of recognizing the coexistence and intersections between different modes of care throughout the trajectory of illness and treatment.