Differences in urban and suburban/rural settings regarding care provision and barriers of cancer care for older adults during COVID-19.

PURPOSE: Care for older adults with cancer became more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in urban hotspots. This study examined the potential differences in healthcare providers' provision of as well as barriers to cancer care for older adults with cancer between urban and suburban/rural settings. METHODS: Members of the Advocacy Committee of the Cancer and Aging Research Group, with the Association of Community Cancer Centers, surveyed multidisciplinary healthcare providers responsible for the direct care of patients with cancer. Respondents were recruited through organizational listservs, email blasts, and social media messages. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used. RESULTS: Complete data was available from 271 respondents (urban (n = 144), suburban/rural (n = 127)). Most respondents were social workers (42, 44%) or medical doctors/advanced practice providers (34, 13%) in urban and suburban/rural settings, respectively. Twenty-four percent and 32.4% of urban-based providers reported "strongly considering" treatment delays among adults aged 76-85 and > 85, respectively, compared to 13% and 15.4% of suburban/rural providers (Ps = 0.048, 0.013). More urban-based providers reported they were inclined to prioritize treatment for younger adults over older adults than suburban/rural providers (10.4% vs. 3.1%, p = 0.04) during the pandemic. The top concerns reported were similar between the groups and related to patient safety, treatment delays, personal safety, and healthcare provider mental health. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate location-based differences in providers' attitudes regarding care provision for older adults with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Survey of cancer care providers' attitude toward care for older adults with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: Care for older adults with cancer became more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to examine cancer care providers' attitudes toward the barriers and facilitators related to the care for these patients during the pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Members of the Advocacy Committee of the Cancer and Aging Research Group, along with the Association of Community Cancer Centers, developed the survey distributed to multidisciplinary healthcare providers responsible for the direct care of patients with cancer. Participants were recruited by email sent through four professional organizations' listservs, email blasts, and messages through social media. RESULTS: Complete data was available from 274 respondents. Only 15.4% had access to written guidelines that specifically address the management of older adults with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Age was ranked fifth as the reason for postponing treatment following comorbid conditions, cancer stage, frailty, and performance status. Barriers to the transition to telehealth were found at the patient-, healthcare worker-, and institutional-levels. Providers reported increased barriers in accessing basic needs among older adults with cancer. Most respondents agreed (86.3%) that decision making about Do Not Resuscitate orders should be the result of discussion with the patient and the healthcare proxy in all situations. The top five concerns reported were related to patient safety, treatment delays, healthcare worker mental health and burnout, and personal safety for family and self. CONCLUSION: These findings demand resources and support allocation for older adults with cancer and healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Experiences of healthcare providers of older adults with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: Care for older adults with cancer became more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to examine healthcare providers' clinical barriers, patient questions, and overall experiences related to care delivery for these patients during the pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Members of the Advocacy Committee of the Cancer and Aging Research Group along with the Association of Community Cancer Centers developed a 20-question survey for healthcare providers of older adults with cancer. Eligible participants were recruited by email sent through professional organizations' listservs, email blasts, and social media. This manuscript reports the qualitative data from the survey's three open-ended questions. Free text, open-ended survey items were analyzed by two independent coders for identification of common themes using NVivo software. Theme agreement was reached through consensus and count comparisons of participant responses were made. RESULTS: Healthcare system organizational challenges and meeting basic needs and support were commonly reported themes among respondents (n = 274). Barriers to care delivery included organizational challenges, patients' access to resources and support, concerns for patients' mental and physical health, and telehealth challenges. Respondents reported older adults were asking about their health and cancer care as well as access to basic needs and supports. Providers described worrying about patients' mental health, fear of personal safety, frustration in multi-level institutions, as well as experiencing positive leadership and communication. CONCLUSION: Providers are faced with balancing their concerns for personal and patient safety. These findings demand resources and support allocation for older adults with cancer and healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.