How do Cancer Patients in Economically Marginalized Neighborhoods Decide Where to Seek Care: Perspectives From Cancer Patients and Healthcare Professionals.

BACKGROUND: The quality of cancer care affects patient outcomes. It is therefore important to understand what factors and/or barriers shape a cancer patient's decision about where to seek care. We sought to understand factors influencing decision-making for historically marginalized communities in a large metropolitan area with multiple options for cancer care, including a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with cancer patients from economically marginalized neighborhoods in Washington D.C., and with healthcare professionals who work with patients from these areas. Participants were recruited through flyers, social media posts, and word of mouth. Two researchers analyzed the data using a combination of inductive and deductive approaches supported by the ATLAS. ti software. RESULTS: A total of 15 interviews were conducted. Analysis revealed 3 major factors influencing where patients decide to seek care: health insurance, transportation, and prioritization of needs. Participants repeatedly identified navigating the bureaucracy of insurance enrollment and high medical costs as prohibitive to seeking care. Transportation was often mentioned in terms of convenience of use and proximity to the care center. Prioritization of needs refers to circumstances such as unstable housing, poverty, and mental illness, that some patients prioritize over seeking quality cancer care. Across these themes 2 findings arose: a discrepancy between stated and actual factors in choosing an oncologist, and the extent to which a cancer patient is able to choose their oncologist. CONCLUSION: This study helps explain some of the factors that influence how cancer patients in urban settings choose an oncology center, and the barriers which prohibit access. AIMS OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to understand how cancer patients decide where to seek treatment.

Contextual Factors Relevant to Implementing Social Risk Factor Screening and Referrals in Cancer Survivorship: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Social risk factors such as food insecurity and lack of transportation can negatively affect health outcomes, yet implementation of screening and referral for social risk factors is limited in medical settings, particularly in cancer survivorship. Methods: We conducted 18 qualitative, semistructured interviews among oncology teams in 3 health systems in Washington, DC, during February and March 2022. We applied the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment Framework to develop a deductive codebook, performed thematic analysis on the interview transcripts, and summarized our results descriptively. Results: Health systems varied in clinical and support staff roles and capacity. None of the participating clinics had an electronic health record (EHR)-based process for identifying patients who completed their cancer treatment ("survivors") or a standardized cancer survivorship program. Their capacities also differed for documenting social risk factors and referrals in the EHR. Interviewees expressed awareness of the prevalence and effect of social risk factors on cancer survivors, but none employed a systematic process for identifying and addressing social risk factors. Recommendations for increasing screening for social risk factors included designating a person to fulfill this role, improving data tracking tools in the EHR, and creating systems to maintain up-to-date information and contacts for community-based organizations. Conclusion: The complexity of cancer care workflows and lack of reimbursement results in a limited ability for clinic staff members to screen and make referrals for social risk factors. Creating clinical workflows that are flexible and tailored to staffing realities may contribute to successful implementation of a screening and referral program. Improving ongoing communication with community-based organizations to address needs was deemed important by interviewees.

Race, Place, And Structural Racism: A Review Of Health And History In Washington, D.C.

Recent events have amplified the debilitating effects of systemic racism on the health of the United States. In an effort to improve population health and dismantle more than 400 years of racial injustice, retrospective examinations of policies, practices, and events that have sustained and continue to undergird racial hierarchy are necessary. In this historical review we feature Washington, D.C.-a city with a legacy of Black plurality. We begin with an overview of contemporary place-based health and socioeconomic disparities. To express the etiology of the trends and uncover opportunities to undo the damage, we reflect on the national landscape as well as on policies and events that socially, economically, and politically disenfranchised Black residents, yielding stark differences in health outcomes among Washington, D.C., populations. In the spirit of atonement in policy and practice, we hope that this approach will inspire policy makers and practitioners in communities across the nation to conduct similar examinations.

Statewide surveillance of carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae in Michigan.

BACKGROUND: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are clinically challenging, threaten patient safety, and represent an emerging public health issue. CRE reporting is not mandated in Michigan. METHODS: The Michigan Department of Community Health-led CRE Surveillance and Prevention Initiative enrolled 21 facilities (17 acute care and 4 long-term acute care facilities) across the state. Baseline data collection began September 1, 2012, and ended February 28, 2013 (duration, 6 months). Enrolled facilities voluntarily reported cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli according to the surveillance algorithm. Patient demographic characteristics, laboratory testing, microbiology, clinical, and antimicrobial information were captured via standardized data collection forms. Facilities reported admissions and patient-days each month. RESULTS: One-hundred two cases over 957,220 patient-days were reported, resulting in a crude incidence rate of 1.07 cases per 10,000 patient-days. Eighty-nine case patients had test results positive for K. pneumoniae, whereas 13 had results positive for E. coli. CRE case patients had a mean age of 63 years, and 51% were male. Urine cultures (61%) were the most frequently reported specimen source. Thirty-five percent of cases were hospital onset; sixty-five percent were community onset (CO), although 75% of CO case patients reported healthcare exposure within the previous 90 days. Cardiovascular disease, renal failure, and diabetes mellitus were the most frequently reported comorbid conditions. Common ris k factors included surgery within the previous 90 days, recent infection or colonization with a multidrug-resistant organism, and recent exposures to antimicrobials, especially third- or fourth-generation cephalosporins. CONCLUSIONS: CRE are found throughout Michigan healthcare facilities. Implementing a regional, coordinated surveillance and prevention initiative may prevent CRE from becoming hyperendemic in Michigan.