Unmet supportive care needs among people with cancer: A cross‐cultural comparison between Indigenous and Non‐Indigenous Australians

Abstract

Objectives: This study describes and compares the unmet supportive care needs between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people with cancer.Methods: Data from two cross-sectional supportive care needs studies were matched in a 1:1 ratio for Indigenous (n = 125) and Non-Indigenous (n = 125) Australian adults diagnosed with cancer. Descriptive statistics were used to compare type and prevalence of 24 need items measured by the SCNS-SF34 and SCNAT-IP. Results:A higher proportion of Non-Indigenous participants compared to Indigenous participants reported having any moderate-to-high level of unmet needs (70% vs. 54%, p = 0.013) and the difference was consistently observed across non-matched characteristics. While concerns for caregivers, fear of recurrence and pain were central needs for both Indigenous participants and Non-Indigenous participants, there were some key differences in the specific unmet needs between groups. Physical issues including doing usual daily activities and dealing with fatigue were the top priorities for Non-Indigenous people, while money worries, dealing with psychological issues such as how to keep their spirit strong or hope about their future appeared to be priorities for Indigenous people. Conclusions: Variations in the unmet supportive care needs between Indigenous andNon-Indigenous people with cancer may guide health professionals to target specific needs when preparing care plans. K E Y W O R D Scancer, indigenous, unmet supportive care needs

End-of-life care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with cancer: an exploratory study of service utilisation and unmet supportive care needs

“…These findings suggest disparities in access to services with Indigenous people accessing fewer services and these differences in access have been previously found to be associated with lower socioeconomic status and remoteness [42,43]. However, when Indigenous Australians do have access to services and are asked about their unmet supportive care needs, they indicated money worries as a frequent high unmet need [44]. This is not surprising given that many Indigenous communities live in disadvantages conditions.…”

Disparities in Unmet Needs in Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians with Cirrhosis: An Exploratory Study

“… 8 , 32 , 33 Previous studies involving the assessment of needs among cancer patients found that physical and psychological domains were important issues for Indigenous cancer patients. 34 , 35 …”

“…8,32,33 Previous studies involving the assessment of needs among cancer patients found that physical and psychological domains were important issues for Indigenous cancer patients. 34,35 For most Indigenous patients included in this study, the education level was Junior High school or less, and over half of the patients had at least one comorbidity (eg diabetes, hypertension and obesity). Lower education rates directly impact health literacy, and health services must adapt to the changes in patient health literacy needs.…”

Occurrence and timely management of problems requiring prompt intervention among Indigenous compared with non-Indigenous Australian palliative care patients: a multijurisdictional cohort study

“… 33 34 Additionally, they have more limited access to definitive treatments, 32 35 have lower uptake of hospitalisations 36 and frequently have unmet supportive care needs. 37 A far lower proportion of Indigenous compared with non-Indigenous patients receive specialist palliative care at the end of life. 38 In contrast to these ‘upstream’ care disparities, the findings of the current study provide reassurance in relation to one important aspect of the care provided to Indigenous patients who access specialist palliative care services.…”