Cancer Care Access in Chile’s Vulnerable Populations During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Bibliographic Data

ID11025853
AuthorsCristóbal Cuadrado (0000-0002-0174-5958, Cristóbal Cuadrado, Francisca Vidal, Jorge Pacheco, and Sandra Flores-Alvarado are with Escuela de Salud Pública, Universidad de Chile, Independencia, Región Metropolitana, Chile. Cristóbal Cuadrado is also with the Centre for Health Economics, University of York, York, UK. Jorge Pacheco is also with Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.), Francisca Vidal (0000-0001-7216-9604, Cristóbal Cuadrado, Francisca Vidal, Jorge Pacheco, and Sandra Flores-Alvarado are with Escuela de Salud Pública, Universidad de Chile, Independencia, Región Metropolitana, Chile. Cristóbal Cuadrado is also with the Centre for Health Economics, University of York, York, UK. Jorge Pacheco is also with Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.), Jorge Pacheco (0000-0001-5571-5204, Cristóbal Cuadrado, Francisca Vidal, Jorge Pacheco, and Sandra Flores-Alvarado are with Escuela de Salud Pública, Universidad de Chile, Independencia, Región Metropolitana, Chile. Cristóbal Cuadrado is also with the Centre for Health Economics, University of York, York, UK. Jorge Pacheco is also with Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.), Sandra Flores‐alvarado (0000-0003-0490-0578, Universidad Mayor), Sandra Flores-Alvarado (Cristóbal Cuadrado, Francisca Vidal, Jorge Pacheco, and Sandra Flores-Alvarado are with Escuela de Salud Pública, Universidad de Chile, Independencia, Región Metropolitana, Chile. Cristóbal Cuadrado is also with the Centre for Health Economics, University of York, York, UK. Jorge Pacheco is also with Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.)
Year2022
Volume112
IssueS6
PagesS591-S601
Publication date2022-08-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2021.306587
PMID35977338
OpenAlexW4292266640
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited24

Objectives. To examine the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on cancer care access in Chile, analyzing differential effects by insurance type, gender, and age. Methods. We conducted a quasi-experimental study using interrupted time series analysis. We used multiple data sources for a broad evaluation of cancer-related health care utilization from January 2017 to December 2020. We fit negative binomial models by population groups for a range of services and diagnoses. Results. A sharp drop in oncology health care utilization in March was followed by a slow, incomplete recovery over 2020. Cumulative cancer-related services, diagnostic confirmations, and sick leaves were reduced by one third in 2020; the decrease was more pronounced among women and the publicly insured. Early diagnosis was missed in 5132 persons with 4 common cancers. Conclusions. The pandemic stressed the Chilean health system, decreasing access to essential services, with a profound impact on cancer care. Oncology service reductions preceded large-scale lockdowns and supply-side disruptions. Importantly, not all population groups were equally affected, with patterns suggesting that gender and socioeconomic inequalities were exacerbated. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(S6):S591–S601. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306587 )

Cancer · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Environmental health · Family medicine · Health care · Health equity · Pandemic · Population · Public health · Socioeconomic status · COVID-19 and healthcare impacts · Demography · Global Cancer Incidence and Screening · Healthcare cost, quality, practices · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Nursing · Gerontology

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