Quality of cancer follow-up care: a focus on Latina breast cancer survivors

Abstract

Introduction Receiving quality cancer follow-up care influences survivorship outcomes. Among Latinas, breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer death; yet Latinas do not receive adequate follow-up care. This study examined quality of cancer follow-up care among Latina breast cancer survivors (BCS) and whether it differs by participant language and healthcare system variables (provider specialty, and medical setting). Methods Two hundred thirty-two (95 English-speaking Latina and 137 Spanish-speaking) Latina BCS were recruited from the California Cancer Registry, hospital cancer registries, and community agencies. Results English-speaking Latina BCS were more likely to report receiving cancer follow-up care at a doctor’s office (p<0.001). BCS without a regular place for cancer follow-up care were more likely to report not seeing a primary care provider (p<0.05) or cancer specialist (p<0.001) in the past 12 months. English-speaking Latina BCS (p<0.001), BCS who saw a cancer specialist in the past 12 months (p<0.001), and received follow-up care at a doctor’s office (p<0.05) reported higher quality of care. Speaking English, having seen a cancer specialist, and receiving follow-up care at a doctor’s office were independently associated with higher quality of care, explaining 44 % of the variance. Conclusions Our study findings suggest that examining the influence of ethnic and linguistic factors on quality of cancer follow-up care is necessary to address health disparities. Improved access to cancer follow-up care for Spanish-speaking Latina BCS is of particular concern. Implication of Cancer Survivors Identifying follow-up care needs of Latina BCS may contribute to providing high-quality care and improved survivorship outcomes.

Health‐related quality of life and care satisfaction outcomes: Informing psychosocial oncology care among Latina and African‐American young breast cancer survivors

“…The 3‐item measure includes items on patient‐provider communication and rapport (eg, “Doctors and health professionals answer all my questions”) on a 5‐point Likert scale (1―strongly disagree to 5―strongly agree) with higher scores indicating greater perceived satisfaction with communication. The measure demonstrated good reliability in previous studies and for this entire study sample ( α = .63) and for African‐American ( α = .74) and Latina ( α = .58) YBCS.…”

Disparities in the survivorship experience among Latina survivors of breast cancer

“…Satisfaction with survivorship information also is a strong predictor of vitality and mental health . In the same vein, evidence suggests that patient satisfaction is a strong correlate of survival as well as quality of survivorship, and language, literacy, and culture barriers faced by Latinas negatively affect survival as well as quality of survivorship …”

“…4 In the same vein, evidence suggests that patient satisfaction is a strong correlate of survival as well as quality of survivorship, and language, literacy, and culture barriers faced by Latinas negatively affect survival as well as quality of survivorship. 15,16 The current study analyzed data from the baseline questionnaire of a randomized controlled trial of survivorship care plans in low-income survivors of BC 17 to assess gaps in knowledge, survivorship preparedness, and satisfaction with information received between Latinas and non-Latina patients.…”

Disparities in long-term radiographic follow-up after cystectomy for bladder cancer: Analysis of the SEER-Medicare database

“…Multiple studies have shown Spanish-speaking Latina breast cancer survivors receive less follow-up than both English-speaking Latina and white breast cancer survivors. [ 11 12 ] It is apparent through the study of bladder cancer and other malignancies that significant disparity exists in treatment and surveillance between people of different socioeconomic status. As a result, minorities that fall within a lower socioeconomic group may suffer decreased follow-up possibly contributing to worse outcomes.…”