Rural Cancer Survivors' Perceived Delays in Seeking Medical Attention, Diagnosis and Treatment: Findings From a Large Qualitative Study
ABSTRACT Aims To investigate rural cancer survivors' self‐reported reasons for perceived delays in initial cancer detection and treatment. Methods Within a cohort study, adult cancer survivors who had travelled > 50 km for cancer care, staying at subsidised accommodation lodges in city centr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Cancer Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.71036 |
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| author | Alyssa Taglieri‐Sclocchi Ingrid Bindicsova Susannah K. Ayre Michael Ireland Sonja March Fiona Crawford‐Williams Suzanne Chambers Jeff Dunn Belinda C. Goodwin Elizabeth A. Johnston |
| author_facet | Alyssa Taglieri‐Sclocchi Ingrid Bindicsova Susannah K. Ayre Michael Ireland Sonja March Fiona Crawford‐Williams Suzanne Chambers Jeff Dunn Belinda C. Goodwin Elizabeth A. Johnston |
| author_sort | Alyssa Taglieri‐Sclocchi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Aims To investigate rural cancer survivors' self‐reported reasons for perceived delays in initial cancer detection and treatment. Methods Within a cohort study, adult cancer survivors who had travelled > 50 km for cancer care, staying at subsidised accommodation lodges in city centres in Queensland, Australia, were invited to complete a structured interview on perceived delays in: (i) seeking medical attention, (ii) receiving their diagnosis and (iii) commencing treatment. Content analysis was used to map self‐reported reasons for perceived delays at each step, which were then categorised based on the perceived source: (i) personal, (ii) healthcare professional, (iii) healthcare system or (iv) other. The self‐reported reasons and perceived sources were summarised using descriptive statistics. Results Six hundred and eighty‐six rural cancer survivors completed the interview (18% breast, 15% head and neck, 12% prostate and 12% skin cancer). Almost half (n = 320, 47%) of participants perceived a delay at one or more steps. Delays in seeking medical attention were perceived by 132 (19%) participants, mostly related to personal factors (n = 67, 51%), including misinterpreting (n = 19, 28%) signs and symptoms. Delays in diagnosis were perceived by 161 (23%) participants, mostly related to healthcare professional factors (n = 86, 53%), including requiring further opinions or testing for diagnosis (n = 30, 35%). Delays in commencing treatment were perceived by 157 (23%) participants, mostly due to healthcare system factors (n = 57, 37%), including long waitlists (n = 39, 68%). Of the participants who perceived a delay in commencing treatment, comparison with timeframes recommended in the relevant Optimal Care Pathway identified that 57% of perceived delays were actual delays. Conclusions Perceived delays in the pathway to initial cancer detection and treatment are common among rural cancer survivors. Improvements in patient–clinician communication could reduce perceived delays, particularly in diagnosis and treatment. Promoting early help‐seeking, participation in cancer screening and improving access to diagnostic and treatment infrastructure may also improve care experiences. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ad7b56b7ff5b4d86a9f9d3c68c5eb965 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2045-7634 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancer Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-ad7b56b7ff5b4d86a9f9d3c68c5eb9652025-07-25T06:40:43ZengWileyCancer Medicine2045-76342025-07-011414n/an/a10.1002/cam4.71036Rural Cancer Survivors' Perceived Delays in Seeking Medical Attention, Diagnosis and Treatment: Findings From a Large Qualitative StudyAlyssa Taglieri‐Sclocchi0Ingrid Bindicsova1Susannah K. Ayre2Michael Ireland3Sonja March4Fiona Crawford‐Williams5Suzanne Chambers6Jeff Dunn7Belinda C. Goodwin8Elizabeth A. Johnston9Viertel Cancer Research Centre Cancer Council Queensland Brisbane Queensland AustraliaViertel Cancer Research Centre Cancer Council Queensland Brisbane Queensland AustraliaViertel Cancer Research Centre Cancer Council Queensland Brisbane Queensland AustraliaSchool of Psychology and Wellbeing University of Southern Queensland Ipswich Queensland AustraliaSchool of Psychology and Wellbeing University of Southern Queensland Ipswich Queensland AustraliaCaring Futures Institute Flinders University Bedford Park South Australia AustraliaFaculty of Health Sciences Australian Catholic University Banyo Queensland AustraliaViertel Cancer Research Centre Cancer Council Queensland Brisbane Queensland AustraliaViertel Cancer Research Centre Cancer Council Queensland Brisbane Queensland AustraliaViertel Cancer Research Centre Cancer Council Queensland Brisbane Queensland AustraliaABSTRACT Aims To investigate rural cancer survivors' self‐reported reasons for perceived delays in initial cancer detection and treatment. Methods Within a cohort study, adult cancer survivors who had travelled > 50 km for cancer care, staying at subsidised accommodation lodges in city centres in Queensland, Australia, were invited to complete a structured interview on perceived delays in: (i) seeking medical attention, (ii) receiving their diagnosis and (iii) commencing treatment. Content analysis was used to map self‐reported reasons for perceived delays at each step, which were then categorised based on the perceived source: (i) personal, (ii) healthcare professional, (iii) healthcare system or (iv) other. The self‐reported reasons and perceived sources were summarised using descriptive statistics. Results Six hundred and eighty‐six rural cancer survivors completed the interview (18% breast, 15% head and neck, 12% prostate and 12% skin cancer). Almost half (n = 320, 47%) of participants perceived a delay at one or more steps. Delays in seeking medical attention were perceived by 132 (19%) participants, mostly related to personal factors (n = 67, 51%), including misinterpreting (n = 19, 28%) signs and symptoms. Delays in diagnosis were perceived by 161 (23%) participants, mostly related to healthcare professional factors (n = 86, 53%), including requiring further opinions or testing for diagnosis (n = 30, 35%). Delays in commencing treatment were perceived by 157 (23%) participants, mostly due to healthcare system factors (n = 57, 37%), including long waitlists (n = 39, 68%). Of the participants who perceived a delay in commencing treatment, comparison with timeframes recommended in the relevant Optimal Care Pathway identified that 57% of perceived delays were actual delays. Conclusions Perceived delays in the pathway to initial cancer detection and treatment are common among rural cancer survivors. Improvements in patient–clinician communication could reduce perceived delays, particularly in diagnosis and treatment. Promoting early help‐seeking, participation in cancer screening and improving access to diagnostic and treatment infrastructure may also improve care experiences.https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.71036access to healthcarecancer survivorshealth serviceshealth systemshealthcare disparitiesregional and remote |
| spellingShingle | Alyssa Taglieri‐Sclocchi Ingrid Bindicsova Susannah K. Ayre Michael Ireland Sonja March Fiona Crawford‐Williams Suzanne Chambers Jeff Dunn Belinda C. Goodwin Elizabeth A. Johnston Rural Cancer Survivors' Perceived Delays in Seeking Medical Attention, Diagnosis and Treatment: Findings From a Large Qualitative Study Cancer Medicine access to healthcare cancer survivors health services health systems healthcare disparities regional and remote |
| title | Rural Cancer Survivors' Perceived Delays in Seeking Medical Attention, Diagnosis and Treatment: Findings From a Large Qualitative Study |
| title_full | Rural Cancer Survivors' Perceived Delays in Seeking Medical Attention, Diagnosis and Treatment: Findings From a Large Qualitative Study |
| title_fullStr | Rural Cancer Survivors' Perceived Delays in Seeking Medical Attention, Diagnosis and Treatment: Findings From a Large Qualitative Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rural Cancer Survivors' Perceived Delays in Seeking Medical Attention, Diagnosis and Treatment: Findings From a Large Qualitative Study |
| title_short | Rural Cancer Survivors' Perceived Delays in Seeking Medical Attention, Diagnosis and Treatment: Findings From a Large Qualitative Study |
| title_sort | rural cancer survivors perceived delays in seeking medical attention diagnosis and treatment findings from a large qualitative study |
| topic | access to healthcare cancer survivors health services health systems healthcare disparities regional and remote |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.71036 |
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