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Wang J, Zhen X, Coyte PC, Shao D, Zhao N, Chang L, Feng Y, Sun X. Association Between Online Health Information-Seeking Behaviors by Caregivers and Delays in Pediatric Cancer: Mixed Methods Study in China. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e46953. [PMID: 37585244 PMCID: PMC10468701 DOI: 10.2196/46953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pediatric cancer patients in China often present at an advanced stage of disease resulting in lower survival and poorer health outcomes. One factor hypothesized to contribute to delays in pediatric cancer has been the online health information-seeking (OHIS) behaviors by caregivers. OBJECTIVE This study aims to examine the association between OHIS behaviors by caregivers and delays for Chinese pediatric cancer patients using a mixed methods approach. METHODS This study used a mixed methods approach, specifically a sequential explanatory design. OHIS behavior by the caregiver was defined as the way caregivers access information relevant to their children's health via the Internet. Delays in pediatric cancer were defined as any one of the following 3 types of delay: patient delay, diagnosis delay, or treatment delay. The quantitative analysis methods included descriptive analyses, Student t tests, Pearson chi-square test, and binary logistic regression analysis, all performed using Stata. The qualitative analysis methods included conceptual content analysis and the Colaizzi method. RESULTS A total of 303 pediatric cancer patient-caregiver dyads was included in the quantitative survey, and 29 caregivers completed the qualitative interview. Quantitative analysis results revealed that nearly one-half (151/303, 49.8%) of patients experienced delays in pediatric cancer, and the primary type of delay was diagnosis delay (113/303, 37.3%), followed by patient delay (50/303, 16.5%) and treatment delay (24/303, 7.9%). In this study, 232 of the 303 (76.6%) caregiver participants demonstrated OHIS behaviors. When those engaged in OHIS behaviors were compared with their counterparts, the likelihood of patient delay more than doubled (odds ratio=2.21; 95% CI 1.03-4.75). Qualitative analysis results showed that caregivers' OHIS behaviors impacted the cancer care pathway by influencing caregivers' symptom appraisal before the first medical contact and caregivers' acceptance of health care providers' diagnostic and treatment decisions. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that OHIS among Chinese pediatric caregivers may be a risk factor for increasing the likelihood of patient delay. Our government and society should make a concerted effort to regulate online health information and improve its quality. Specialized freemium consultations provided by health care providers via online health informatic platforms are needed to shorten the time for caregivers' cancer symptom appraisal before the first medical contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiamin Wang
- Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- National Health Commission Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, West-Wenhua Road, 44, Jinan, China
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Xuemei Zhen
- Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- National Health Commission Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, West-Wenhua Road, 44, Jinan, China
| | - Peter C Coyte
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Di Shao
- Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- National Health Commission Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, West-Wenhua Road, 44, Jinan, China
| | - Ni Zhao
- Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- National Health Commission Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, West-Wenhua Road, 44, Jinan, China
| | - Lele Chang
- Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- National Health Commission Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, West-Wenhua Road, 44, Jinan, China
| | - Yujia Feng
- Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- National Health Commission Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, West-Wenhua Road, 44, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaojie Sun
- Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- National Health Commission Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University, West-Wenhua Road, 44, Jinan, China
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Afaya A, Ramazanu S, Bolarinwa OA, Yakong VN, Afaya RA, Aboagye RG, Daniels-Donkor SS, Yahaya AR, Shin J, Dzomeku VM, Ayanore MA, Alhassan RK. Health system barriers influencing timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment among women in low and middle-income Asian countries: evidence from a mixed-methods systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res 2022; 22:1601. [PMID: 36587198 PMCID: PMC9805268 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-022-08927-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer type and the leading cause of cancer mortality among women in developing countries. A high prevalence of late breast cancer diagnosis and treatment has been reported predominantly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), including those in Asia. Thus, this study utilized a mixed-methods systematic review to synthesize the health system barriers influencing timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment among women in Asian countries. METHODS We systematically searched five electronic databases for studies published in English from 2012 to 2022 on health system barriers that influence timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment among women in Asian countries. The review was conducted per the methodology for systematic reviews and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, while health system barriers were extracted and classified based on the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Health Systems Framework. The mixed-methods appraisal tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. RESULTS Twenty-six studies were included in this review. Fifteen studies were quantitative, nine studies were qualitative, and two studies used a mixed-methods approach. These studies were conducted across ten countries in Asia. This review identified health systems barriers that influence timely breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The factors were categorized under the following: (1) delivery of health services (2) health workforce (3) financing for health (4) health information system and (5) essential medicines and technology. Delivery of health care (low quality of health care) was the most occurring barrier followed by the health workforce (unavailability of physicians), whilst health information systems were identified as the least barrier. CONCLUSION This study concluded that health system factors such as geographical accessibility to treatment, misdiagnosis, and long waiting times at health facilities were major barriers to early breast cancer diagnosis and treatment among Asian women in LMICs. Eliminating these barriers will require deliberate health system strengthening, such as improving training for the health workforce and establishing more healthcare facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agani Afaya
- grid.15444.300000 0004 0470 5454Mo-Im Nursing Research Institute, College of Nursing, Yonsei University, 50-1, Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722 Republic of Korea ,grid.449729.50000 0004 7707 5975Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - Sheena Ramazanu
- grid.4280.e0000 0001 2180 6431Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa
- grid.127050.10000 0001 0249 951XDepartment of Global Public Health, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK
| | - Vida Nyagre Yakong
- grid.442305.40000 0004 0441 5393Department of Preventive Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
| | - Richard Adongo Afaya
- grid.442305.40000 0004 0441 5393Department of Midwifery and Women’s Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
| | - Richard Gyan Aboagye
- grid.449729.50000 0004 7707 5975Department of Family and Community Health, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana
| | - Silas Selorm Daniels-Donkor
- grid.8241.f0000 0004 0397 2876Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, University of Dundee, Scotland Dundee, UK
| | - Ahmed-Rufai Yahaya
- Hariri School of Nursing, American University of Beruit, Beirut, Lebanon ,grid.460777.50000 0004 0374 4427Department of Internal Medicine, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana
| | - Jinhee Shin
- grid.412965.d0000 0000 9153 9511Woosuk University, College of Nursing, Wanju, Republic of Korea
| | - Veronica Millicent Dzomeku
- grid.9829.a0000000109466120Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Martin Amogre Ayanore
- grid.449729.50000 0004 7707 5975Department of Health Policy Planning and Management, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - Robert Kaba Alhassan
- grid.449729.50000 0004 7707 5975Centre for Health Policy and Implementation Research. Institute of Health Research, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
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Lim YX, Lim ZL, Ho PJ, Li J. Breast Cancer in Asia: Incidence, Mortality, Early Detection, Mammography Programs, and Risk-Based Screening Initiatives. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:4218. [PMID: 36077752 PMCID: PMC9454998 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14174218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Nearly all breast cancer patients survive for more than five years when the tumor is found early and in the localized stage. Regular clinical breast examinations, mammograms, and monthly self-exams of the breasts all contribute to early detection. However, late-stage breast cancers are common in many Asian countries. Low-income countries suffer from a lack of resources for breast cancer screening. High-income countries, on the other hand, are not benefiting fully from national breast screening programs due to an underutilization of the preventive healthcare services available. Existing reviews on Asian breast cancers are heavily focused on risk factors. The question of whether we should adopt or adapt the knowledge generated from non-Asian breast cancers would benefit from an extension into screening guidelines. In addition, several Asian countries are piloting studies that move away from the age-based screening paradigm. Abstract Close to half (45.4%) of the 2.3 million breast cancers (BC) diagnosed in 2020 were from Asia. While the burden of breast cancer has been examined at the level of broad geographic regions, literature on more in-depth coverage of the individual countries and subregions of the Asian continent is lacking. This narrative review examines the breast cancer burden in 47 Asian countries. Breast cancer screening guidelines and risk-based screening initiatives are discussed.
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