Identifying Patients at Risk of Delayed Breast Imaging Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Cureus
; 13(8): e17235, 2021 Aug.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1372155
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Epidemiological models predict worse cancer outcomes due to COVID-19 pandemic-related delays in cancer surveillance and treatment. This study evaluated patient demographic factors associated with delayed breast imaging or procedure appointments due to COVID-19.METHODS:
Patients attending a breast imaging or procedure appointment at the Pennsylvania Hospital Breast Center from December 28, 2020 to January 31, 2021 were asked to complete a voluntary and anonymous survey on the impact of COVID-19. Chi-squared and two-sample t-tests were used to analyze correlations between having a delayed appointment and various demographic variables.RESULTS:
Five hundred seventy patients completed the survey. Participants were more likely to have delayed a breast imaging or procedure appointment if they were younger (53.9 versus 57.4 years old, p=0.014), had more total household residents (2.7 versus 2.2, p=0.019) or children (0.8 versus 0.4, p=0.016), personally had COVID-19 (p=0.04), or personally had to quarantine (p<0.01). Race, ethnicity, education, income level, and marital status were not found to statistically significantly correlate with having a delayed appointment.CONCLUSION:
This study found that younger age, a greater number of residents and children in the household, and having a personal history of COVID-19 infection or quarantining were factors significantly correlated with delaying a breast imaging or procedure appointment. As radiology practices prepare to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on screening practices and cancer outcomes, these findings may help imaging centers refine patient outreach efforts and policy accommodations to protect the most vulnerable populations.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Language:
English
Journal:
Cureus
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Cureus.17235
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