How European primary care practitioners think the timeliness of cancer diagnosis can be improved: a thematic analysis.
Attitude of Health Personnel
Delayed Diagnosis
/ mortality
Europe
/ epidemiology
Health Personnel
/ education
Health Services Accessibility
/ standards
Health Services Needs and Demand
Humans
Neoplasms
/ diagnosis
Patient Education as Topic
/ standards
Primary Health Care
/ methods
Quality Improvement
/ organization & administration
Referral and Consultation
/ standards
Surveys and Questionnaires
Survival Rate
Cancer
Consultation and Referral
Delivery of Health Care
Diagnosis
General Practitioners
Primary Health Care
Journal
BMJ open
ISSN: 2044-6055
Titre abrégé: BMJ Open
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101552874
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
24 09 2019
24 09 2019
Historique:
entrez:
26
9
2019
pubmed:
26
9
2019
medline:
21
10
2020
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
National European cancer survival rates vary widely. Prolonged diagnostic intervals are thought to be a key factor in explaining these variations. Primary care practitioners (PCPs) frequently play a crucial role during initial cancer diagnosis; their knowledge could be used to improve the planning of more effective approaches to earlier cancer diagnosis. This study sought the views of PCPs from across Europe on how they thought the timeliness of cancer diagnosis could be improved. In an online survey, a final open-ended question asked PCPs how they thought the speed of diagnosis of cancer in primary care could be improved. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. A primary care study, with participating centres in 20 European countries. A total of 1352 PCPs answered the final survey question, with a median of 48 per country. The main themes identified were: patient-related factors, including health education; care provider-related factors, including continuing medical education; improving communication and interprofessional partnership, particularly between primary and secondary care; factors relating to health system organisation and policies, including improving access to healthcare; easier primary care access to diagnostic tests; and use of information technology. Re-allocation of funding to support timely diagnosis was seen as an issue affecting all of these. To achieve more timely cancer diagnosis, health systems need to facilitate earlier patient presentation through education and better access to care, have well-educated clinicians with good access to investigations and better information technology, and adequate primary care cancer diagnostic pathway funding.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
National European cancer survival rates vary widely. Prolonged diagnostic intervals are thought to be a key factor in explaining these variations. Primary care practitioners (PCPs) frequently play a crucial role during initial cancer diagnosis; their knowledge could be used to improve the planning of more effective approaches to earlier cancer diagnosis.
OBJECTIVES
This study sought the views of PCPs from across Europe on how they thought the timeliness of cancer diagnosis could be improved.
DESIGN
In an online survey, a final open-ended question asked PCPs how they thought the speed of diagnosis of cancer in primary care could be improved. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.
SETTING
A primary care study, with participating centres in 20 European countries.
PARTICIPANTS
A total of 1352 PCPs answered the final survey question, with a median of 48 per country.
RESULTS
The main themes identified were: patient-related factors, including health education; care provider-related factors, including continuing medical education; improving communication and interprofessional partnership, particularly between primary and secondary care; factors relating to health system organisation and policies, including improving access to healthcare; easier primary care access to diagnostic tests; and use of information technology. Re-allocation of funding to support timely diagnosis was seen as an issue affecting all of these.
CONCLUSIONS
To achieve more timely cancer diagnosis, health systems need to facilitate earlier patient presentation through education and better access to care, have well-educated clinicians with good access to investigations and better information technology, and adequate primary care cancer diagnostic pathway funding.
Identifiants
pubmed: 31551382
pii: bmjopen-2019-030169
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030169
pmc: PMC6773305
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
e030169Informations de copyright
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Competing interests: None declared.
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