scholarly journals Understanding Posttreatment Patient‐Provider Communication and Follow‐Up Care Among Self‐Identified Rural Cancer Survivors in Illinois

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marquita W. Lewis‐Thames ◽  
Leslie R. Carnahan ◽  
Aimee S. James ◽  
Karriem S. Watson ◽  
Yamilé Molina
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. e964-e973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neetu Chawla ◽  
Danielle Blanch-Hartigan ◽  
Katherine S. Virgo ◽  
Donatus U. Ekwueme ◽  
Xuesong Han ◽  
...  

Purpose: Although patient-provider communication is an essential component of health care delivery, little is known about the quality of these discussions among patients with cancer. Methods: Data are from the 2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Experiences with Cancer survey among 1,202 adult cancer survivors. We evaluated discussions with any provider after a cancer diagnosis about: (1) follow-up care; (2) late or long-term treatment effects; (3) lifestyle recommendations, such as diet, exercise, and quitting smoking; and (4) emotional or social needs. Using a response scale ranging from “did not discuss” to “discussed in detail,” a summary score was constructed to define communication quality as high, medium, or low. Patient factors associated with the quality of provider discussions were examined using multivariable polytomous logistic regression analyses. Results: At the time of the survey, approximately one half of the patients (46%) were either within 1 year (24.1%) or between 1 and 5 years (22.0%) of treatment. More than one third of cancer survivors reported that they did not receive detailed communication about follow-up care, and more than one half reported that they did not receive detailed communication regarding late or long-term effects, lifestyle recommendations, or emotional and social needs. Only 24% reported high-quality communication for all four elements, indicating that the vast majority experienced suboptimal communication. In multivariable analysis, survivors reporting a high communication quality with providers included those who were within 1 year of treatment, between the ages of 18 and 64 years, non-Hispanic black or other ethnicity, and married. Conclusion: Study findings demonstrate gaps in the communication quality experienced by cancer survivors in the United States and help identify survivors for targeted interventions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 86-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guadalupe R. Palos ◽  
Katherine Ramsey Gilmore ◽  
Paula A. Lewis-Patterson ◽  
Patricia Chapman ◽  
Maria Alma Rodriguez

86 Background: Patient-provider communication about survivorship care and care plans is a core tenet of quality cancer care. Our objective was to examine gaps in communication about maintaining health, importance of follow-up care, and unmet information needs in community-based survivors. Methods: A convenience sample of adult survivors attending a community-based cancer survivorship conference were eligible to take this survey. Consenting adult survivors completed a self-administered survey with selected questions from the NCI Follow-Up Care Use among Survivors Survey. Participants were informed that survey completion was voluntary and confidential. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize and analyze data. Results: 284 surveys were distributed and 169 surveys returned, resulting in a response rate of 59.5%. After excluding Spanish-language surveys and respondents not diagnosed with cancer, 109 surveys were included in this sub-analysis. Most survivors were female (77.7%), college-educated (86.1%), married (58.4%) and diagnosed with breast cancer (47.5%). Over half (55.5%) reported experiencing pain that interfered with their daily routine yet, 83.2% reported being in good to excellent health. The primary reason for receiving follow-up care was to check for recurrence (66.2%). Most survivors (78.5%) reported having no to some patient-provider discussions about the late effects associated their treatment. 47.6% reported not receiving information about a written care summary from their provider, 94.8% would have liked to have received a written summary, and 73.1% preferred more information about the benefits of a personalized care plan. Survivors also reported in the past 2 years, their providers did not discuss topics related to emotional concerns (35.3%), alcohol consumption (35.1%) and types of foods to eat (33.8%). Survivors wanted more information on self-management techniques such as how to improve energy (83.2%), manage fatigue (72.9%), or improve sleep (69.3%) Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need for further examination on the impact of inadequate patient-provider communication on survivors’ outcomes and providers’ practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-25
Author(s):  
Soleil Chahine ◽  
Gordon Walsh ◽  
Robin Urquhart

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the psychosocial needs of cancer survivors and examine whether sociodemographic factors and health care providers accessed are associated with needs being met. Methods: All Nova Scotia survivors meeting specific inclusion and exclusion criteria are identified from the Nova Scotia Cancer Registry and sent an 83-item survey to assess psychosocial concerns and whether and how their needs were met. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages) and Chi-square analyses are used to examine associations between sociodemographic and provider factors and outcomes. Results: Anxiety and fear of recurrence, depression, and changes in sexual intimacy are major areas of concern for survivors. Various sociodemographic factors, such as immigration status, education, employment, and internet use, are associated with reported psychosocial health and having one’s needs met. Having both a specialist and primary care provider in charge of follow-up care is associated with a significantly (p < 0.05) higher degree of psychosocial and informational needs met compared to only one physician or no follow-up physician in charge. Accessing a patient navigator also is significantly associated with a higher degree of needs met. Conclusions: Our study identifies the most prevalent psychosocial needs of cancer survivors and the factors associated with having a higher degree of needs met, including certain sociodemographic factors, follow-up care by both a primary care practitioner and specialist, and accessing a patient navigator.


2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (12) ◽  
pp. 1495-1503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Murchie ◽  
Patricia F Norwood ◽  
Marta Pietrucin-Materek ◽  
Terry Porteous ◽  
Philip C Hannaford ◽  
...  

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