The impact of COVID-19 on cancer care of outpatients with low socioeconomic status.
Int J Cancer
; 151(1): 77-82, 2022 07 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1669439
ABSTRACT
Patients with low socioeconomic status (SES) are among the most underserved groups of people regarding cancer care. Analyzing the impact of the coronavirus-induced disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on health care disparities and calling attention to inequalities in cancer care is crucial to justify and initiate adequate countermeasures. We aimed to determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated health care disparities of cancer outpatients related to their SES and analyzed patient data of the largest university center providing services for patients with hematologic and oncologic disorders in Austria from 2018 to 2021. SES was assessed using three indicators monthly net household income, level of education and occupational prestige. In total, 1217 cancer outpatients (51.1% female) with a mean age of 59.4 years (SD = 14.2) participated. In the first year of the pandemic, the relative proportion of individuals with low income, low education level and low occupational prestige seeking cancer care at our outpatient center decreased significantly (P ≤ .015). The strongest indicator was income, with a consistent effect throughout the first pandemic year. Countermeasures and specific interventions to support cancer patients with low SES in their access to health care should be initiated and prioritized.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
/
Neoplasms
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
Int J Cancer
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Ijc.33960
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