Healthcare providers' experiences of continuing care for older adults with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Autor: Pergolotti M; ReVital Cancer Rehabilitation, Select Medical, Mechanicsburg, PA, USA.; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.; Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA., Pisegna J; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.; VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System GRECC, Aurora, CO, USA., Chien LC; City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA., BrintzenhofeSzoc K; Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA., Kaur A; Jacobi Medical Center, Bronx, New York, NY, USA., Battisti N; The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, England., Canin B; Cancer and Aging Research Group, Duarte, CA, USA., Malone MV; Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute, Venice, FL, USA., Shahrokni A; Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune Township, NJ, USA., Plotkin E; Association of Community Cancer Centers, Rockville, MD, USA., Boehmer LM; Association of Community Cancer Centers, Rockville, MD, USA., Ali I; Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA., Krok-Schoen JL; School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. Jessica.krok@osumc.edu.; Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. Jessica.krok@osumc.edu.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice [J Cancer Surviv] 2024 Jun; Vol. 18 (3), pp. 1051-1058. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Mar 22.
DOI: 10.1007/s11764-023-01356-7
Abstrakt: Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused great strain on older adults with cancer and their healthcare providers. This study explored healthcare providers' reported changes in cancer care, clinical barriers to care, patient questions, and the overall experiences of caring for older adults with cancer during the COVID-19 crisis.
Methods: The Advocacy Committee of the Cancer and Aging Research Group and the Association of Community Cancer Centers developed a survey for healthcare providers of adults with cancer, inquiring about their experiences during the pandemic. Responses from the survey's four open-ended items were analyzed by four independent coders for identification of common themes using deductive and inductive methods.
Results: Participants (n = 137) represented a variety of demographic and clinical experiences. Six overall themes emerged, including (1) telehealth use, (2) concerns for patient mental health, (3) patient physical and social isolation, (4) patient fear of contracting COVID-19, (5) continued disruptions to cancer care, and (6) patients seeking guidance, particularly regarding COVID-19 vaccination. Questions fielded by providers focused on the COVID-19 vaccination's safety and efficacy during older adults' cancer treatment.
Conclusions: Additional resources (e.g., technology support, established care guidelines, and sufficient staffing) are needed to support older adults with cancer and healthcare providers during the pandemic. Future research should explore universally effective in-person and virtual treatment strategies for older adults with cancer.
Implications for Cancer Survivors: Persistence of telehealth barriers, particularly a lack of infrastructure to support telehealth visits, social isolation, and restrictive visitor policies as a result of COVID-19, negatively impacted the mental health of older adults with cancer.
(© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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