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Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Delivery in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Oncology Providers in Africa

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted cancer care globally. There are limited data of its impact in Africa. This study aims to characterize COVID-19 response strategies and impact of COVID-19 on cancer care and explore misconceptions in Africa. METHODS: We conducted a web-based cross-sectiona...

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Autores principales: Martei, Yehoda M., Rick, Tara J., Fadelu, Temidayo, Ezzi, Mohammed S., Hammad, Nazik, Quadri, Nasreen S., Rodrigues, Belmira, Simonds, Hannah, Grover, Surbhi, Incrocci, Luca, Vanderpuye, Verna
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Wolters Kluwer Health 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8081536/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33689484
http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/GO.20.00569
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author Martei, Yehoda M.
Rick, Tara J.
Fadelu, Temidayo
Ezzi, Mohammed S.
Hammad, Nazik
Quadri, Nasreen S.
Rodrigues, Belmira
Simonds, Hannah
Grover, Surbhi
Incrocci, Luca
Vanderpuye, Verna
author_facet Martei, Yehoda M.
Rick, Tara J.
Fadelu, Temidayo
Ezzi, Mohammed S.
Hammad, Nazik
Quadri, Nasreen S.
Rodrigues, Belmira
Simonds, Hannah
Grover, Surbhi
Incrocci, Luca
Vanderpuye, Verna
author_sort Martei, Yehoda M.
collection PubMed
description PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted cancer care globally. There are limited data of its impact in Africa. This study aims to characterize COVID-19 response strategies and impact of COVID-19 on cancer care and explore misconceptions in Africa. METHODS: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey of oncology providers in Africa between June and August 2020. Descriptive statistics and comparative analysis by income groups were performed. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-two participants initiated the survey, of which 79 respondents from 18 African countries contributed data. Ninety-four percent (66 of 70) reported country mitigation and suppression strategies, similar across income groups. Unique strategies included courier service and drones for delivery of cancer medications (9 of 70 and 6 of 70, respectively). Most cancer centers remained open, but > 75% providers reported a decrease in patient volume. Not previously reported is the fear of infectivity leading to staff shortages and decrease in patient volumes. Approximately one third reported modifications of all cancer treatment modalities, resulting in treatment delays. A majority of participants reported ≤ 25 confirmed cases (44 of 68, 64%) and ≤ 5 deaths because of COVID-19 (26 of 45, 58%) among patients with cancer. Common misconceptions were that Africans were less susceptible to the virus (53 of 70, 75.7%) and decreased transmission of the virus in the African heat (44 of 70, 62.9%). CONCLUSION: Few COVID-19 cases and deaths were reported among patients with cancer. However, disruptions and delays in cancer care because of the pandemic were noted. The pandemic has inspired tailored innovative solutions in clinical care delivery for patients with cancer, which may serve as a blueprint for expanding care and preparing for future pandemics. Ongoing public education should address COVID-19 misconceptions. The results may not be generalizable to the entire African continent because of the small sample size.
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spelling pubmed-80815362021-04-29 Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Delivery in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Oncology Providers in Africa Martei, Yehoda M. Rick, Tara J. Fadelu, Temidayo Ezzi, Mohammed S. Hammad, Nazik Quadri, Nasreen S. Rodrigues, Belmira Simonds, Hannah Grover, Surbhi Incrocci, Luca Vanderpuye, Verna JCO Glob Oncol ORIGINAL REPORTS PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted cancer care globally. There are limited data of its impact in Africa. This study aims to characterize COVID-19 response strategies and impact of COVID-19 on cancer care and explore misconceptions in Africa. METHODS: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey of oncology providers in Africa between June and August 2020. Descriptive statistics and comparative analysis by income groups were performed. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-two participants initiated the survey, of which 79 respondents from 18 African countries contributed data. Ninety-four percent (66 of 70) reported country mitigation and suppression strategies, similar across income groups. Unique strategies included courier service and drones for delivery of cancer medications (9 of 70 and 6 of 70, respectively). Most cancer centers remained open, but > 75% providers reported a decrease in patient volume. Not previously reported is the fear of infectivity leading to staff shortages and decrease in patient volumes. Approximately one third reported modifications of all cancer treatment modalities, resulting in treatment delays. A majority of participants reported ≤ 25 confirmed cases (44 of 68, 64%) and ≤ 5 deaths because of COVID-19 (26 of 45, 58%) among patients with cancer. Common misconceptions were that Africans were less susceptible to the virus (53 of 70, 75.7%) and decreased transmission of the virus in the African heat (44 of 70, 62.9%). CONCLUSION: Few COVID-19 cases and deaths were reported among patients with cancer. However, disruptions and delays in cancer care because of the pandemic were noted. The pandemic has inspired tailored innovative solutions in clinical care delivery for patients with cancer, which may serve as a blueprint for expanding care and preparing for future pandemics. Ongoing public education should address COVID-19 misconceptions. The results may not be generalizable to the entire African continent because of the small sample size. Wolters Kluwer Health 2021-03-10 /pmc/articles/PMC8081536/ /pubmed/33689484 http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/GO.20.00569 Text en © 2021 by American Society of Clinical Oncology https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
spellingShingle ORIGINAL REPORTS
Martei, Yehoda M.
Rick, Tara J.
Fadelu, Temidayo
Ezzi, Mohammed S.
Hammad, Nazik
Quadri, Nasreen S.
Rodrigues, Belmira
Simonds, Hannah
Grover, Surbhi
Incrocci, Luca
Vanderpuye, Verna
Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Delivery in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Oncology Providers in Africa
title Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Delivery in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Oncology Providers in Africa
title_full Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Delivery in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Oncology Providers in Africa
title_fullStr Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Delivery in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Oncology Providers in Africa
title_full_unstemmed Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Delivery in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Oncology Providers in Africa
title_short Impact of COVID-19 on Cancer Care Delivery in Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Oncology Providers in Africa
title_sort impact of covid-19 on cancer care delivery in africa: a cross-sectional survey of oncology providers in africa
topic ORIGINAL REPORTS
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8081536/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33689484
http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/GO.20.00569
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