Abstract

Background: Amidst this global pandemic, the impact on accessing care and support for cancer survivors in Australia is uncertain and unknown. The purpose of the current study is to explore the impact that COVID-19 had on Australian rural/regional cancer survivors and their ability to access health services, treatment, and supportive care during this pandemic.

Methods: Cancer survivors (n = 66) completed an online survey regarding the impact of COVID-19 on their access to medical and support services.

Results: Findings indicated that COVID-19 had a significant impact on the lives of cancer survivors with the biggest challenges being reduced social support and the inability to see their health care providers. Findings also revealed that older participants reported greater impact and distress due to COVID-19.

Conclusions: In order to ensure that the health and support needs of cancer survivors are not negatively impacted, providers of psychosocial support may need to make strategic changes in the provision of access to health and support services.

摘要

背景：在这场全球大流行中，对澳大利亚癌症幸存者获得护理和支持的影响是不确定和未知的。本研究的目的是探讨 COVID-19 对澳大利亚农村/地区癌症幸存者的影响，以及他们在这场大流行期间获得医疗服务、治疗和支持性护理的能力。

方法：癌症幸存者 ( n  = 66) 完成了一项关于 COVID-19 对其获得医疗和支持服务的影响的在线调查。

结果：调查结果表明，COVID-19 对癌症幸存者的生活产生了重大影响，最大的挑战是社会支持减少和无法看到他们的医疗保健提供者。调查结果还显示，较年长的参与者报告了 COVID-19 带来的更大影响和痛苦。

结论：为了确保癌症幸存者的健康和支持需求不会受到负面影响，心理社会支持的提供者可能需要在提供健康和支持服务方面做出战略性改变。