Improved Health Care Services Needed in Mexico to Treat Hematologic Malignancies

In Mexico, improved health care services are needed for patients with hematologic malignancies (HMs), according to a study published in BMC Health Services Research.

In this study, researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey study consisting of 515 HM patients treated at 2 public oncology hospitals in Mexico City. Patients had the following cancer types:

• lymphoma (46.6%)
• leukemia (34%)
• multiple myeloma (19.4%)

Overall, 70.9% were at advanced stages or at high risk. The population of interest answered a patient-centered quality of cancer care questionnaire designed to assess patient experiences with receiving 1) timely care; 2) clear information; 3) information for treatment decision-making; 4) care to address biopsychosocial needs; and 5) respectful and coordinated care.

According to the results, timely care, clear information, and care were associated with higher health-related quality of life (HRQL), however, less than 40% of patients reported receiving clear information, only 28.5% reported receiving timely care, only 20.6% reported receiving sufficient information for treatment decision-making, only 23.7% reported getting care that addressed their biopsychosocial needs, and only 31% reported receiving respectful and coordinated care.

“Health care services for HM patients at public oncology hospitals in Mexico need improvement,” the researchers concluded. “Notably, providing timely care, clear information, and care that addresses patients’ biopsychosocial needs can increase the likelihood of better HRQL.”

They advised that health care providers “should measure and improve the experiences of HM patients with health care.”

Reference

Doubova SV, Terreros-Munoz E, Delgado-Lopez N, et al. Experiences with health care and health-related quality of life of patients with hematologic malignancies in Mexico. BMC Health Serv Res. 20, 644 (2020).