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Influences of rurality on action to diagnose cancer by primary care practitioners: Results from a Europe-wide survey in 20 countries
Univ Aberdeen, UK.
Univ Aberdeen, UK.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0758-012X
Univ Aberdeen, UK.
Balearic Isl Hlth Res Inst IdISBa, Spain.
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2020 (English)In: Cancer Epidemiology, ISSN 1877-7821, E-ISSN 1877-783X, Vol. 65, p. 1-6, article id 101698Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background: Rural-dwellers have poorer cancer outcomes than urban counterparts, for reasons which are unclear. At healthcare institution level, poorer access to investigations and different clinical decision-making by rural primary healthcare practitioners (PCPs) could be important. Aim: To compare access to investigations, attitudes to cancer diagnosis and clinical decision-making between rural and urban PCPs. Setting: A vignette-based cross-sectional survey of rural and urban PCPs in 20 European countries. Methods: Data on PCPs' decision-making and attitudes to cancer diagnosis were based on clinical scenarios. Comparisons were made using tests of proportion, univariable and multivariable binary logistic regression. Results: Of the 1779 PCPs completing the survey 541 30.4 %) practiced rurally. Rural PCPs had significantly less direct access to all investigative modalities: ultrasound; endoscopy; x-ray and advanced screening (all p<0.001). Rural PCPs were as likely as urban PCPs to take diagnostic action (investigation and/or referral) at the index consultation in all four clinical vignettes ((OR, 95 % CI) for lung: 0.90, 0.72-1.12; ovarian: 0.95, 0.75-1.19; breast: 0.87, 0.69-1.09; colorectal: 0.98, 0.75-1.30). Rural PCPs were less likely to refer to a specialist at the index consultation for ovarian cancer (OR 0.71 95 % CI 0.51-0.99). Rural PCPs were significantly more likely to report that their patients faced barriers to accessing specialist care, but practitioners did not report greater difficulties making specialist referral than their urban counterparts Conclusions: European rural PCPs report poorer access to investigations but are at least as likely as urban PCPs to investigate or refer patients that might have cancer at the index consultation.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2020. Vol. 65, p. 1-6, article id 101698
Keywords [en]
Primary healthcare, Cancer, Rurality, Geography, Health outcomes, General practice, Europe
National Category
Cancer and Oncology Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Research subject
Natural Science, Medicine
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-97164DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2020.101698ISI: 000538163000027PubMedID: 32151979Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85081317674OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-97164DiVA, id: diva2:1454038
Available from: 2020-07-14 Created: 2020-07-14 Last updated: 2022-12-08Bibliographically approved

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Thulesius, Hans

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