Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care
- P4P Author
- Sep 26, 2021
- 2 min read
It’s no secret that the pandemic has had an adverse effect on healthcare services over the past two years, but even as coronavirus vaccines roll out and bans begin to lift, the restrictions and disruptions have continued to act as a strain on hospitals and patients, both through cancer treatment and mental health.
Cancer Care
“It was disheartening to think we might face a public health crisis down the road when more patients might develop into late-stage cancer [because of delays to their treatment]”
-Jackie Manthorn (President & CEO of the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network)
With a lot of money and resources going towards improving the COVID-19 response, alongside several restrictions placed to reduce coronavirus cases, healthcare has not been appointed at its usual quality. From the backlogs of surgeries and treatments, to switches from in-person to virtual check-ups, there has been a growing issue about how patients are receiving their care and how they are staying healthy.
One study in specific, from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, focused on how cancer care was impacted by the pandemic globally in 2020, and found that out of 356 health centers from 54 countries, 88.2% were forced to reduce their level of care. These were mainly due to precautionary measures (55.34%), an overwhelmed system (19.94%), staff shortages (17.98%), or a lack of medication access (9.83%), but meant that a great number of patients were unable to attend some chemotherapy sessions, further resulting in a significant fraction of them receiving harm (36.52%). As well, with the switch to virtual check-ups, another great many patients were unable to follow through with proper diagnoses or any diagnoses at all, having nearly one million fewer cancer screening tests in Ontario, as an example (Ontario Chamber of Commerce, 2021). Though there is still treatment ongoing, the lack of accessibility and the excess of backlog have made it increasingly difficult for patients to receive the proper care they need, causing great concern on public health.
Patients’ Mental Health
Even before the pandemic had taken over and restrictions were placed on visitation, the mental health of a majority of cancer patients was described as far from ideal. It was clear to see that their risks for suffering anxiety, distress, and depression were significantly higher, given the burden of cancer. However, when COVID-19 hit, these mental health issues were only exacerbated.
For outpatients—those who receive treatment without being admitted to a hospital—instead of seeing health care providers and medical teams on a regular basis, visits are either online, or very infrequent, adding to their stresses of a worsening disease. And for inpatients—those who require hospitalization— the restrictions on visitations result in resorting to virtual means, like on Zoom or FaceTime, to see their family and friends. Real, in-person interactions are limited to daily visits with their two essential care partners(ECPs), seen only once at a time and with the necessary safety precautions of masks and entrance screenings, making for a far-from-ideal alternative, further amplifying their feelings of loneliness and boredom at hospitals.
“Oh, (the days were) unbearably long. The first day it didn’t bother me at all, but the second day, that seemed like forever…”
A patient, speaking on their time in hospital.
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