TY - JOUR
T1 - Unequal cancer survivorship care
T2 - addressing cultural and sociodemographic disparities in the clinic
AU - Surbone, Antonella
AU - Halpern, Michael
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
PY - 2016/12/1
Y1 - 2016/12/1
N2 - The number of individuals diagnosed with cancer is growing worldwide. Cancer patients from underserved populations have widely documented disparities through the continuum of cancer care. As the number of cancer survivors (i.e., individuals who have completed cancer treatment) from underserved populations also continue to grow, these individuals may continue to experience barriers to survivorship care, resulting in persistent long-term negative impacts on health and quality of life. In addition, there is limited participation of survivors from underserved populations in clinical trials and other research studies. To address disparities and change practices in survivorship care, a better understanding of the roles of both socioeconomic status (SES) and of culture in cancer care disparities and the relevance of these to providing high-quality care is needed. SES and culture often overlap but are not identical; understanding the impact of each is especially relevant to survivorship care. To enhance health equity among cancer survivors, clinicians need to practice culturally competent care, address cultural beliefs and practices that may influence survivors’ beliefs and activities, gain awareness of historical patterns of medical care in the survivor’s community, and consider how barriers to cross-cultural communications may hinder communication in clinical settings. While the design and implementation of survivorship care programs emphasizing effectiveness and equity is complex and potentially time consuming, it is critical for providing optimal care for all survivors, including those from the most vulnerable populations.
AB - The number of individuals diagnosed with cancer is growing worldwide. Cancer patients from underserved populations have widely documented disparities through the continuum of cancer care. As the number of cancer survivors (i.e., individuals who have completed cancer treatment) from underserved populations also continue to grow, these individuals may continue to experience barriers to survivorship care, resulting in persistent long-term negative impacts on health and quality of life. In addition, there is limited participation of survivors from underserved populations in clinical trials and other research studies. To address disparities and change practices in survivorship care, a better understanding of the roles of both socioeconomic status (SES) and of culture in cancer care disparities and the relevance of these to providing high-quality care is needed. SES and culture often overlap but are not identical; understanding the impact of each is especially relevant to survivorship care. To enhance health equity among cancer survivors, clinicians need to practice culturally competent care, address cultural beliefs and practices that may influence survivors’ beliefs and activities, gain awareness of historical patterns of medical care in the survivor’s community, and consider how barriers to cross-cultural communications may hinder communication in clinical settings. While the design and implementation of survivorship care programs emphasizing effectiveness and equity is complex and potentially time consuming, it is critical for providing optimal care for all survivors, including those from the most vulnerable populations.
KW - Cancer
KW - Culture
KW - Healthcare disparities
KW - Socioeconomic factors
KW - Survivorship
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84990848087&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84990848087&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00520-016-3435-4
DO - 10.1007/s00520-016-3435-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 27714531
AN - SCOPUS:84990848087
SN - 0941-4355
VL - 24
SP - 4831
EP - 4833
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
IS - 12
ER -