Background/Aim
To provide reliable, well-organized information and scheme that can support patients and families in making their decision with assistance of professionals and caregivers.
Methods
We conducted comprehensive survey for 2,004 institutions in 6 prefectures (Gunma, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, and Oita) about providing cancer information service and patient support system from October to December 2017. A questionnaire about category of care facilities (including hospitals, clinics, care centers, libraries, patient groups, etc.), difficulties in distributing cancer information (contents, training, collaboration, outreach, etc.).
Results
A total of 763 sites replied for survey (38.1%). Difficulties in providing information are categorized to resource (shortage of staff, time and space), contents (information, booklets, web), communication and training programs. Information needs were emphasized especially on care at home, palliative care, expenditures, psychological support, communication with health professionals, side effects, treatment, transfer, nursing. Health professionals and patient advocates were engaged in information providers, and they expressed hope in incorporation into local network including Cancer Network Navigators.
Conclusion
Distribution program of Cancer Network Navigator aims to achieve positive outcomes for patients by developing an integrated and seamless system for providing information to patients and carers that helps them better managing their own care.
<Introduction> It has been emerged as a social problem that there are many cancer patients who are obliged to quit their job after cancer diagnosis. Questionnaire surveys for grasping job status have limitations in terms of its costs and sampling techniques of the target population.
<Aim> To observe health insurance switch as a proxy for change in employment status of cancer patients, using existing data.
<Methods> We performed a record linkage of population-based cancer registry data from Osaka Prefecture and DPC data from 36 designated cancer care hospitals. The study population comprised beneficiaries of health insurance for salaried employees who were between 25 and 64 years of age and received a diagnosis of cancer between 2010 and 2015. Information of insurance status at diagnosis and one year after diagnosis was extracted from DPC data. Patient data from cancer registry included sex, age, site of cancer, stage, treatment, and date of diagnosis. We calculated the percentages of switching insurance among the patients within one year after diagnosis, stratified by a variety of subgroups.
<Results> A total of 17,280 patients were analyzed and 2,288 (13.2%) switched their insurance within one year after diagnosis. The percentage of switching insurance was higher among women and lowest among patients 40 to 54 years of age. The highest percentage was lung (17.3%), followed by cervix uteri (17.1%) for site of cancer; distant (21.7%), followed by unknown (14.7%) for stage; chemotherapy (19.2%), followed by chemoradiotherapy (18.3%) for treatment. Percentages stratified by health insurer were 14.6%, 12.3%, and 9.8% for Health Insurance Association (Kyoukai Kenpo), Union-managed Health Insurance (Kenpo Kumiai), and Mutual Aid Association (Kyosai Kumiai), respectively.
<Conclusions> We were able to conducted descriptive epidemiology studies of cancer patients’ job status, making secondary use of existing data.