scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on The Preventive Services in Qatar

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Haj Bakri ◽  
Mohamed Ghaith Al-Kuwari ◽  
Mariam Ali Abdulmalik ◽  
Hamad Rashid Al-Mudahka ◽  
Wadha Ahmed Al-Baker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Preventive Health Services ◽  
Delayed Diagnosis ◽  
Preventive Services ◽  
Services Utilization ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Main Component ◽  
The Impact

Background: In March 2020, Qatar started reporting increased numbers of COVID-19 cases. At that stage, containment measures were put in place. The health authority in Qatar developed an emergency action plan to respond to the outbreak with the Primary Health Care as the main component of that response and suspended all non-urgent services including preventive health services. The aim of the retrospective analysis to measure the Impact of COVID 19 on the preventive services provided in Qatar. Methods: A retrospective data analysis was conducted for all the preventive services utilization volume across the 27 PHCC health centers from the 1st of January 2017 to the 31st of July 2020. Results: With 17,012 no-show appointments, well-baby and Immunization services utilization demonstrated a reduction of 40% in May and started to come back to volumes higher than expected in June. The number of cancelled appointments for breast cancer and colorectal cancer screening programs were 3,481 and 5,854 respectively. The expected volumes demand has dropped by 100% in comparison to 2017 demand. Wellness services only met 20% of its projected utilization in April, however, the services picked up in June. Conclusion: These findings will guide the public health policymakers to understand the effects COVID-19 on preventive services and the risk of having an increased number of outbreaks for childhood communicable disease, cancer cases with delayed diagnosis due to the screening services suspension. In addition, the plan will address the increased number of sedately behavior due to the service's reduced utilization of wellness services. Keywords: COVID-19, preventive, cancer screening, immunization, Qatar

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the preventive services in Qatar

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Ghaith Al-Kuwari ◽  
Mariam Ali Abdulmalik ◽  
Hamad Rashid Al-Mudahka ◽  
Ahmad Haj Bakri ◽  
Wadha Ahmed Al-Baker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Preventive Health Services ◽  
Delayed Diagnosis ◽  
Preventive Services ◽  
Services Utilization ◽  
Retrospective Data Analysis ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
Main Component ◽  
The Impact

Background: In March 2020, Qatar started reporting increased numbers of COVID-19 cases. At that stage, containment measures were put in place. The health authority in Qatar developed an emergency action plan to respond to the outbreak with the Primary Health Care as the main component of that response and suspended all non-urgent services including preventive health services. The aim of the retrospective analysis to measure the Impact of COVID-19 on the preventive services provided in Qatar.Methods: A retrospective data analysis was conducted for all the preventive services utilization volume across the 27 PHCC health centres from the 1st of January 2017 to the 31st of July 2020.Results: With 17,012 no-show appointments, well-baby and Immunization services utilization demonstrated a reduction of 40% in May and started to come back to volumes higher than expected in June. The breast cancer and colorectal cancer screening programmes expected volumes demand has dropped by 100% in comparison to 2017 demand due to their respective appointments’ cancelation. Wellness services only met 20% of its projected utilization in April, however, the services picked up in June.Conclusion: These findings will guide the public health policymakers to understand the effects COVID-19 on preventive services and the risk of having an increased number of outbreaks for childhood communicable disease, cancer cases with delayed diagnosis due to the screening services suspension. In addition, the plan will address the increased number of sedately behaviour due to the service's reduced utilization of wellness services.

scholarly journals Has COVID-19 Affected Cancer Screening Programs? A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Alkatout ◽  
Matthias Biebl ◽  
Zohre Momenimovahed ◽  
Edward Giovannucci ◽  
Fatemeh Hadavandsiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Delayed Diagnosis ◽  
Years Of Life Lost ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Diagnosis Rate ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundHealth care services across the world have been enormously affected by the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Services in oncology have been curtailed because medical services have been focused on preventing the spread of the virus and maximizing the number of available hospital beds. The present study was designed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on cancer screening.MethodsDatabases such as Medline, Web of Science Core Collection (Indexes = SCI-EXPANDED, SSCI, A & HCI Timespan) and Scopus were searched comprehensively for articles published until January 2021. The keywords used were COVID-19 and cancer screening, Articles dealing with cancer screening in the COVID-19 pandemic were included in the review.ResultsThe review comprised 17 publications. The impact of COVID-19 was categorized into four dimensions: a significant decline in cancer screening and pathology samples, the cancer diagnosis rate, an increase in advanced cancers, mortality rate and years of life lost (YLLs).ConclusionCancer screening programs have been clearly interrupted since the onset of the COVID-19 disease. The anticipated outcomes include delayed diagnosis and marked increases in the numbers of avoidable cancer deaths. Urgent policy interventions are needed to handle the backlog of routine diagnostic services and minimize the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stage at diagnosis of breast and colorectal cancers.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6501-6501
Author(s):  
Jade Zhou ◽  
Shelly Kane ◽  
Celia Ramsey ◽  
Melody Ann Akhondzadeh ◽  
Ananya Banerjee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Late Stage ◽  
Stage Iv ◽  
Stage I ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Stage Distribution ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
The Impact

6501 Background: Effective cancer screening leads to a substantial increase in the detection of earlier stages of cancer, while decreasing the incidence of later stage cancer diagnoses. Timely screening programs are critical in reducing cancer-related mortality in both breast and colorectal cancer by detecting tumors at an early, curable stage. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the postponement or cancellation of many screening procedures, due to both patient fears of exposures within the healthcare system as well as the cancellation of some elective procedures. We sought to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the incidence of early and late stage breast and colorectal cancer diagnoses at our institution. Methods: We examined staging for all patients presenting to UCSD at first presentation for a new diagnosis of malignancy or second opinion in 2019 and 2020. Treating clinicians determined the stage at presentation for all patients using an AJCC staging module (8th edition) in the electronic medical record (Epic). We compared stage distribution at presentation in 2019 vs 2020, both for cancers overall and for colorectal and breast cancer, because these cancers are frequently detected by screening. Results: Total numbers of new patient visits for malignancy were similar in 2019 and 2020 (1894 vs 1915 pts), and stage distribution for all cancer patients was similar (stage I 32% in 2019 vs 29% in 2020; stage IV 26% in both 2019 and 2020). For patients with breast cancer, we saw a lower number of patients presenting with stage I disease (64% in 2019 vs 51% in 2020) and a higher number presenting with stage IV (2% vs 6%). Similar findings were seen in colorectal cancer (stage I: 22% vs 16%; stage IV: 6% vs 18%). Conclusions: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in incidence of late stage presentation of colorectal and breast cancer, corresponding with a decrease in early stage presentation of these cancers at our institution. Cancer screening is integral to cancer prevention and control, specifically in colorectal and breast cancers which are often detected by screening, and the disruption of screening services has had a significant impact on our patients. We plan to continue following these numbers closely, and will present data from the first half of 2021 as it becomes available.

Impact of the Current US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations for Cervical Cancer Screening in Young Women 21 to 29 Years Old

2020 ◽  
Vol 153 (6) ◽  
pp. 734-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Paul Morris ◽  
Sayanan Chowsilpa ◽  
Sara Mustafa ◽  
Isaac Chan ◽  
Daniel Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Cervical Cancer Screening ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Academic Medical Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Preventive Services ◽  
High Grade ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives In 2012, the US Preventive Services Task Force decreased the recommended frequency of cervical cytology screening to once every 3 years and recommended against testing women younger than 21 years regardless of sexual history. We evaluated the impact of this in 21 to 29-year-old women at a tertiary care academic medical center in 2011 and 2017. Methods We retrospectively analyzed Papanicolaou test results at two time points in 21- to 29-year-old women. Results There was a decrease in the number of high-grade lesions in 21- to 25-year-old women (odds ratio [OR], 0.36) from 2011 to 2017. Within the 26- to 29-year-old patient group, there was a trend toward a higher percentage of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) in 2017 compared to 2011 on cytology, which did not reach statistical significance (OR, 1.46). However, follow-up histologic specimens showed a higher percentage of HSIL in 2017 compared to 2011 in this age group (OR, 2.16). Conclusions Our findings suggest that the cervical cancer screening guidelines introduced in 2012 have not had a detrimental impact on the outcomes of cervical cancer screening for 21- to 25-year-old women. However, we need to continue monitoring the effects of decreased screening in 26- to 29-year-old women.

The impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on cancer survivorship.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 10072-10072
Author(s):  
Christine Leopold ◽  
Elyse Park ◽  
Larissa Nekhlyudov
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Childhood Cancer ◽  
Cancer Survivorship ◽  
Preventive Services ◽  
Childhood Cancer Survivors ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Coordinated Care ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Coverage Expansion ◽  
The Impact

10072 Background: The ACA of 2010 has been recognized by the cancer community as an important step forward in insurance and payment reform, aiming to expand the number of insured patients, control costs and incentivize health care delivery system changes. In this review, we outline the ACA provisions relevant to cancer survivorship, provide available evidence for their impact, and offer insights for future research. Methods: We conducted a literature search in the PubMed database and grey literature. We searched the terms ‘ACA and cancer survivors’, which resulted in 17 articles and expanded the search to ‘ACA and cancer’ and found 213 articles, of which 75 were relevant for this review. We categorized the ACA provisions into three categories, 1) access to preventive care, 2) access to quality, coordinated care, and 3) coverage expansion and increased affordability. Results: Positive effects of the ACA were: an increased uptake of preventive services and cancer screening; a reduction in hospital admissions, increased guidelines concordance and generic prescribing through the implementation of cancer-specific Accountable Care Organizations; a reduction of unnecessary resource use (e.g. emergency visits) through the implementation of oncology patient-centered medical home models and decreases in costs though bundle payments. These results focus on the general population/cancer patients; specific studies targeting at the effects on cancer survivors are missing. In addition, evidence from literature showed that knowledge about the benefits of the ACA is low among childhood cancer survivors; while insurance coverage rates of cancer survivors, especially for childhood cancer survivors, increased. Conclusions: Evidence regarding the effects of the ACA on cancer survivorship care is limited, though point to greater access to preventive services and screening programs. Effects of provisions focusing on quality, coordinated care as well as coverage expansion and affordability may have beneficial effects. Whether the ACA remains or is reformed, it is critically important that decisions take into account the potential intended and unintended consequences of the ACA provisions on health outcomes and quality of life of this growing population.

scholarly journals Response to Letter Regarding the Impact of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations in Breast Cancer Screening Trends

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. e31
Author(s):  
Soudabeh Fazeli Dehkordy ◽  
Kelli S. Hall ◽  
Allison L. Roach ◽  
Edward D. Rothman ◽  
Vanessa K. Dalton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Breast Cancer Screening ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Preventive Services ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Using fecal immunochemical tubes for the analysis of gut microbiome has potential to improve colorectal cancer screening

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kertu Liis Krigul ◽  
Oliver Aasmets ◽  
Kreete Lull ◽  
Tonis Org ◽  
Elin Org
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Colorectal Cancer Screening ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Fecal Occult Blood ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Fresh Frozen ◽  
The Impact

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is an important and challenging public health problem which successful treatment depends on the early detection of the disease. Recently, colorectal cancer specific microbiome signatures have been proposed as an additional marker for CRC detection. A desirable aim would be the possibility to analyze microbiome from the fecal samples collected during CRC screening programs into FIT tubes for fecal occult blood testing. Methods: We investigated the impact of Fecal Immunohistochemical Test (FIT) and stabilization buffer on the microbial community structure in stool samples from 30 volunteers and compared their communities to fresh-frozen samples highlighting also the previously published cancer-specific communities. Altogether 214 samples were analyzed including positive and negative controls using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results: The variation between individuals is greater than differences introduced by collection strategy. The vast majority of the genera are stable up to 7 days. None of the changes observed between fresh frozen samples and FIT tubes are related to previously shown colorectal cancer specific bacteria. Conclusions: Overall, our results show that FIT tubes can be used for profiling the gut microbiota in colorectal cancer screening programs as the community is similar to fresh frozen samples and stable at least for 7 days. Impact: Sample material from FIT tubes could be used in addition to fecal immunochemical tests for future investigations into the role of gut microbiota in colorectal cancer screening programs circumventing the need to collect additional samples and possibly improving the sensitivity of FIT.

scholarly journals A Review of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Colorectal Cancer Screening: Implications and Solutions

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1508
Author(s):  
Suneha Sundaram ◽  
Sean Olson ◽  
Paranjay Sharma ◽  
Shanmugarajah Rajendra
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Colorectal Cancer Screening ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Delayed Diagnosis ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
Catching Up ◽  
Advanced Stages ◽  
Reduce Risk ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all aspects of medical care, including cancer screening and preventative measures. Colorectal cancer screening declined significantly at the onset of the pandemic as the result of an intentional effort to conserve resources, prioritize emergencies and reduce risk of transmission. There has already been an increase in diagnosis at more advanced stages and symptomatic emergencies due to suspended screenings. As endoscopy units find their way back to pre-pandemic practices, a backlog of cases remains. The missed CRC diagnoses amongst the missed screenings carry a risk of increased morbidity and mortality which will only increase as time-to-diagnosis grows. This review discusses the impact of COVID-19 on colonoscopy screening rates, trends in stages/symptoms/circumstances at diagnosis, and economic and social impact of delayed diagnosis. Triaging and use of FITs are proposed solutions to the challenge of catching up with the large number of pandemic-driven missed CRC screenings.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document