This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
CanCORS: Patients’ ratings of care differed by race, language
Ayanian JZ. J Clin Oncol. 2010;doi:10.1200/JCO.2009.27.3268.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Patients who were Chinese speakers, English-speaking Asian/Pacific Islanders or those in worse health had significantly worse adjusted experiences in terms of interpersonal care when treated for lung or colorectal cancer, according to a survey of 4,093 patients treated in the US.
In contrast, white, black and Hispanic patients reported generally similar experiences when asked about their experiences with physician communication, nursing care and coordination and responsiveness of care.
From 2003 to 2007, researchers from the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance (CanCORS) Consortium polled patients in Alabama, Iowa, Los Angeles County, eight counties in Northern California and 22 counties in central and eastern North Carolina.
Researchers conducted computer-assisted telephone surveys 4 to 7 months after diagnosis. Patients were asked 13 questions adapted from the 46-question Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey and from prior research on patients’ experiences with cancer care.
Results were expressed on a 100-point scale.
White and black patients reported identical experiences for both lung and colorectal cancer, and scores from Hispanic patients were similar. Scores for English-speaking Asian/Pacific Islanders treated for colorectal cancer were similar to those reported for black, white and Hispanic patients, whereas scores were lower for lung cancer. Chinese speakers reported significantly lower scores for both diseases.
Researchers found that Chinese-speaking patients reported experiences that were roughly 20 points lower for physician communication and 10 points lower for nursing care compared with black and white patients.
Additionally, patients determined to be in fair or poor health, or who died within 4 months of diagnosis, returned scores four to 22 points lower than white patients who were in excellent health.
 |
Follow HemOncToday.com on Twitter. |