Post-acute health care needs of people with head and neck cancer: Mapping health care services, experiences, and the impact of rurality
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Burns, Clare L
Ward, Elizabeth C
Nund, Rebecca L
Wishart, Laurelie R
Kenny, Lizbeth M
Stevens, Maurice
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Abstract
Background People with head and neck cancer (HNC) have complex health care needs; however, limited evidence exists regarding the nature or patterns of service access and use. This study explored the post-discharge health care needs and experiences of individuals with HNC from metropolitan and rural areas.
Methods Health care appointments and services accessed by people with HNC were collated for 6-month post-treatment. Data analysis of the whole cohort examined patterns of access while journey mapping integrated participants' experiences of recovery.
Results The 6-month service access journey was mapped for 11 people. Rural participants attended a significantly greater number of appointments (p = 0.012), higher canceled/missed appointments (p = 0.013), and saw more professionals (p = 0.007). Rural participants reported higher stress and burden due to service access barriers and unmet needs.
Conclusions Multiple challenges and inequities exist for rural people with HNC. Findings inform opportunities to enhance the post-treatment recovery of people with HNC in rural areas.
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Head & Neck
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44
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6
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© 2022 The Authors. Head & Neck published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
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Clinical sciences
Dentistry
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Otorhinolaryngology
Surgery
allied health
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Foley, J; Burns, CL; Ward, EC; Nund, RL; Wishart, LR; Kenny, LM; Stevens, M, Post-acute health care needs of people with head and neck cancer: Mapping health care services, experiences, and the impact of rurality, Head & Neck, 2022, 44 (6), pp. 1377-1392