CANCERCARE published a report illustrating the physical, emotional, financial, practical and informational needs cancer patients experience during and after clinical treatment.
The 2016 Patient Access and Engagement Report analyzed more than 3,000 patients in ethnicity, income, education, geography, age, insurance, cancer type and treatment stage—and evaluated their understanding of their diagnosis and access to care, participation in treatment planning, communication and engagement with providers, insurance and financial issues, the impact of cancer on quality of life, and issues related to survivorship. The project was made possible by AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, Helsinn Therapeutics, Gilead Sciences, Incyte Corporation, Janssen Oncology, Lilly, Merck, PhRMA, and Pfizer.
The report found that people in all stages of cancer say they don’t have enough information about their illness, treatment options, benefits and risks, clinical trials, insurance coverage, and how to find emotional, financial and practical support.
One-quarter of respondents ages 25 to 54 disagreed with some of their doctors’ recommendations for diagnostic testing and did not follow them, with the majority citing cost as the reason. Fewer than half of respondents discussed the cost of follow-up testing with their physician. Patients ages 25 to 54 had nearly twice as many post-diagnosis conversations about their cancer with nurses, religious leaders, social workers, physician assistants, or nurse practitioners as patients 55 and older.
The report is available on the CancerCare website. www.cancercare.org/accessengagementreport
