Experiences of cancer care in COVID-19: A longitudinal qualitative study

Dowling, Maura; Eicher, Manuela; Drury, Amanda

doi:10.1016/j.ejon.2022.102228

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Our findings support an emerging body of literature evidencing how patients refrain from asking questions during telephone consultations [29,34]. This is possibly because telephone calls take a formal, 'business-like' format, and are expected to be much shorter [35].…”

Section: Remote Consultationssupporting

confidence: 83%

“…Other research with cancer and heart failure patients in the United States and Ireland has shown that enforced isolation during the pandemic was not welcomed by patients. The lack of visitors was reported to be lonely, demotivating [28] and frightening [29]. A striking and novel finding from this study, however, was that some patients welcomed the respite that the ward‐visitation restrictions provided.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

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‘I Do It All Alone’: The Burdens and Benefits of Being Diagnosed With, and Treated for, Colorectal Cancer During the Covid‐19 Pandemic

Dobson,

Deane,

Osborne

et al. 2024

Health Expectations

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IntroductionThe Covid‐19 pandemic dramatically altered the way cancer care services were accessed and delivered, including for colorectal cancer (CRC). In the United Kingdom, patients were discouraged from presenting in primary care, many consultations took place remotely, investigative procedures and screening programmes were temporarily suspended, and fewer operations and treatments were delivered. People had to face the practical consequences of having cancer during a pandemic and navigate never before seen pathways, often alone. We examined the experience of being diagnosed and treated for CRC during the pandemic, and the implications of this on people's cancer journeys.MethodsSemi‐structured interviews were undertaken with people diagnosed with CRC during the Covid‐19 pandemic (January 2020–May 2021), in the North East of England. An iterative topic guide was used during interviews, which took place remotely (telephone or Zoom), were audio recorded, pseudo‐anonymised and transcribed. Initial transcripts were independently coded by two researchers, and a code ‘bank’ developed for application across transcripts. Development of themes and overarching analytical constructs was undertaken collaboratively by the research team.ResultsInterviews were conducted with 19 participants, analysed and four key themes identified: (1) The relative threats of Covid‐19 and Cancer were not comparable, with cancer seen as posing a far greater risk than Covid‐19; (2) Remote consultations were problematic, affecting patients' abilities to build rapport and trust with clinicians, assess nonverbal communication, and feel able to disclose, comprehend and retain information; (3) Stoma follow‐up care was seen to be lacking, with long wait times for stoma reversal experienced by some; Finally, (4) Being alone during consultations negatively impacted some peoples' abilities to absorb information, and left them without the support of loved ones at an emotionally vulnerable time. However, some participants preferred being alone at certain points in their pathways, including receiving a diagnosis, and most frequently when receiving in‐patient treatment.ConclusionBeing alone brought unexpected benefits, absolving people from undertaking emotions work for others, and instead focus on their recovery, however, remote consultations negatively impacted patients' experiences. This study highlights the complex benefits and burdens of pandemic‐located cancer journeys, including how these shifted at different points across cancer pathways.Patient or Public ContributionLorraine Angell, a cancer survivor, has been central to this study from idea conception, contributing to: development of study focus and design; securing funding; production of patient‐facing materials; development of interview topic guides; analysis and interpretation of data; and drafting of key findings and manuscripts.

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Section: Remote Consultationssupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

‘I Do It All Alone’: The Burdens and Benefits of Being Diagnosed With, and Treated for, Colorectal Cancer During the Covid‐19 Pandemic

Dobson,

Deane,

Osborne

et al. 2024

Health Expectations

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“…After this period, population screening rates progressively recovered, and participation returned to its normal prepandemic values [25]. Another aspect that could have influenced the reduction in the number of diagnoses in this initial period of the pandemic was the fear of presenting to the health services with symptomatic disease [26,27]. The pandemic also entailed an increase in neoadjuvant treatment, which was probably used to extend the interval between diagnosis and surgery; this is one of the strategies described by professionals to deal with the circumstances characterizing the early pandemic period [28,29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adherence to Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer in Catalonia (Spain)

Navarro-Sabate,

Font,

Martínez-Soler

et al. 2024

Cancers

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Purpose. To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adherence to oral endocrine therapy in patients diagnosed with breast cancer in the public healthcare system in Catalonia (Spain). Methods. Retrospective cohort study in patients starting endocrine therapy from 2017 to 2021. Adherence was measured during the first year of treatment, and the impact of the pandemic was calculated according to the calendar year and whether the first year of treatment included the peak period of the pandemic in our setting (March–September 2020). Analyses were performed using a chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression, with results stratified by year, age group, and drug type. Results. Mean overall adherence during the first year of treatment was 89.6% from 2017 to 2021. In contrast, the patients who started treatment in 2019 and 2020 and whose treatment included the peak pandemic period presented an adherence of 87.0% and 86.5%, respectively. Young age and tamoxifen or combination therapy were predictors of low adherence. An increase in neoadjuvant therapy was also observed in 2020. Conclusions. The COVID-19 pandemic had only a modest impact on adherence to endocrine therapy (≈3%), despite the enormous disruptions for patients, the healthcare system in general, and cancer care in particular that were occurring in that period.

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“…Distress levels in patients with cancer [11] varied from moderate to severe at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 [12][13][14] to lower distress levels in the following pandemic years [10,15,16] but remained higher compared to the general population [11]. In contrast, resilience levels were high throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with cancer [10,15,17,18]. Ayubi, Bashirian, and Khazaei [12] provided an overview of the measurement instruments and the statistics in their systematic review and meta-analysis in terms of the comparability of depression and anxiety measurement instruments including distress, and performed statistical analyses in the reviewed studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patient-Reported Experiences of Supportive Cancer Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Canella,

Naegele,

Ribi

et al. 2024

European Journal of Cancer Care

Self Cite

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Background. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people affected by cancer were in need of information about the virus and about the (self-) management of cancer symptoms and treatment. It is important to understand how patients with cancer navigated through the pandemic and to explore their experience relating to their supportive care needs. Aim. This study aimed to describe the experience of Swiss oncological patients during the COVID-19 pandemic with additional supportive cancer care. Methods. A single-center study was conducted in 2021. Patients with melanoma, breast, lung, or colon cancer who received active systemic anticancer treatment at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and who were additionally seeing either oncology clinical nurse specialists, integrative medicine physicians, or both were included. We conducted semistructured interviews alongside the patient-reported quantitative assessment of distress and resilience. Thematic analysis was performed for the qualitative data and descriptive statistics for the quantitative data. Results. Eighteen patients with cancer were interviewed. Patients seeing an integrative medicine physician highlighted that they positively felt being addressed as a whole person during the consultations. The oncology clinical nurse specialists were perceived as the first point of contact for the patients and had more time during the pandemic compared to what the patients normally received. In general, patients did not experience delays or disruptions in their cancer treatment. As immunosuppressed and fatigued patients with cancer, they felt supported by the restrictions and hygienic measures. Access to vaccination reassured patients against the risk of infection. These results were reflected in the quantitative data, as we found moderate distress levels (M = 4.1; SD = 2.5) and high resilience scores (M = 7.5; SD = 0.9) in this patient population. Conclusion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with cancer felt particularly supported by integrative medicine and cancer nurse consultations. Secured resources for nursing consultations and integrative medicine services can help to address the supportive care needs of patients with cancer.

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Experiences of cancer care in COVID-19: A longitudinal qualitative study

Cited by 9 publications

References 69 publications

‘I Do It All Alone’: The Burdens and Benefits of Being Diagnosed With, and Treated for, Colorectal Cancer During the Covid‐19 Pandemic

‘I Do It All Alone’: The Burdens and Benefits of Being Diagnosed With, and Treated for, Colorectal Cancer During the Covid‐19 Pandemic

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adherence to Endocrine Therapy for Breast Cancer in Catalonia (Spain)

Patient-Reported Experiences of Supportive Cancer Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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