The impact of COVID-19 on cancer care of outpatients with low socioeconomic status
Ce dossier présente un ensemble d'articles concernant la prise en charge des cancers durant la crise sanitaire liée au COVID-19
Patients with low socioeconomic status are among the most underserved groups of people regarding cancer care. Analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care disparities and calling attention to inequalities in cancer care is crucial to justify and initiate adequate countermeasures. We aimed to determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated health care disparities of cancer outpatients related to their socioeconomic status and analyzed patient data of the largest university center providing services for patients with hematologic and oncologic disorders in Austria from 2018 to 2021. Socioeconomic status was assessed using three indicators: monthly net household income, level of education, and occupational prestige. In total, 1217 cancer outpatients (51.1% female) with a mean age of 59.4 years (SD = 14.2) participated. In the first year of the pandemic, the relative proportion of individuals with low income, low education level and low occupational prestige seeking cancer care at our outpatient center decreased significantly (ps ≤ .015). The strongest indicator was income, with a consistent effect throughout the first pandemic year. Countermeasures and specific interventions to support cancer patients with low socioeconomic status in their access to health care should be initiated and prioritized. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
International Journal of Cancer , résumé, 2021