Malignant pleural mesothelioma patients’ experience by gender: findings from a cross-sectional UK-national questionnaire
Objectives Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive malignancy of mesothelial surfaces, most commonly those of the pleura. The aim of this study was to understand, using a national questionnaire, the gendered care experiences of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).Patients were asked a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2022-02-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open Respiratory Research |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001050.full |
| _version_ | 1797776015725953024 |
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| author | Liz Darlison Lorraine Creech Angela Tod Michaela Senek Steve Robertson |
| author_facet | Liz Darlison Lorraine Creech Angela Tod Michaela Senek Steve Robertson |
| author_sort | Liz Darlison |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive malignancy of mesothelial surfaces, most commonly those of the pleura. The aim of this study was to understand, using a national questionnaire, the gendered care experiences of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).Patients were asked about their experience of the diagnostic process, about information clarity, health care professionals’ knowledge, general practitioner support and overall satisfaction with care received.Setting Recruitment of patients was carried out in three UK countries (England, Wales and Scotland) via mesothelioma clinical nurse specialists.Participants In total, 503 patients completed the questionnaire. 460 had MPM, the remainder had other types of mesothelioma. In accord with the study protocol, only the MPM patients were included in this study.Primary and secondary measures were: (1) time from symptom to diagnosis, (2) satisfaction with the diagnosis and treatment, and (3) quality of life and well-being.Results There were gender differences in time from symptom to diagnosis. The time from symptom to diagnosis was significantly longer for women than men (median=152 days vs men=92 days, p=0.01). Lack of a verified source of exposure to asbestos was a hindrance to private treatment access for women (95% of those that access private treatment are men). Patients were five times more likely to be satisfied if they thought that the doctors knew enough about their condition (OR=4.4, p=0.001) and nearly three times more likely to be satisfied if information was presented in a sensitive way (OR=2.8,p=0.01).Conclusions This study has several implications for clinical practice. Our findings suggest that the diagnostic time in women might be reduced by reviewing diagnostic processes including occupational history taking, and by revising the occupational risk of mesothelioma categorisation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:43:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-18fd1d68d435449884ca335f2ac4ee84 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2052-4439 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:43:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open Respiratory Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-18fd1d68d435449884ca335f2ac4ee842023-07-21T08:00:07ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open Respiratory Research2052-44392022-02-019110.1136/bmjresp-2021-001050Malignant pleural mesothelioma patients’ experience by gender: findings from a cross-sectional UK-national questionnaireLiz Darlison0Lorraine Creech1Angela Tod2Michaela Senek3Steve Robertson4Mesothelioma UK, Leicester, UKMesothelioma UK, Leicester, UKDivision of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKDivision of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Health Sciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKDivision of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Health Sciences, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKObjectives Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive malignancy of mesothelial surfaces, most commonly those of the pleura. The aim of this study was to understand, using a national questionnaire, the gendered care experiences of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).Patients were asked about their experience of the diagnostic process, about information clarity, health care professionals’ knowledge, general practitioner support and overall satisfaction with care received.Setting Recruitment of patients was carried out in three UK countries (England, Wales and Scotland) via mesothelioma clinical nurse specialists.Participants In total, 503 patients completed the questionnaire. 460 had MPM, the remainder had other types of mesothelioma. In accord with the study protocol, only the MPM patients were included in this study.Primary and secondary measures were: (1) time from symptom to diagnosis, (2) satisfaction with the diagnosis and treatment, and (3) quality of life and well-being.Results There were gender differences in time from symptom to diagnosis. The time from symptom to diagnosis was significantly longer for women than men (median=152 days vs men=92 days, p=0.01). Lack of a verified source of exposure to asbestos was a hindrance to private treatment access for women (95% of those that access private treatment are men). Patients were five times more likely to be satisfied if they thought that the doctors knew enough about their condition (OR=4.4, p=0.001) and nearly three times more likely to be satisfied if information was presented in a sensitive way (OR=2.8,p=0.01).Conclusions This study has several implications for clinical practice. Our findings suggest that the diagnostic time in women might be reduced by reviewing diagnostic processes including occupational history taking, and by revising the occupational risk of mesothelioma categorisation.https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001050.full |
| spellingShingle | Liz Darlison Lorraine Creech Angela Tod Michaela Senek Steve Robertson Malignant pleural mesothelioma patients’ experience by gender: findings from a cross-sectional UK-national questionnaire BMJ Open Respiratory Research |
| title | Malignant pleural mesothelioma patients’ experience by gender: findings from a cross-sectional UK-national questionnaire |
| title_full | Malignant pleural mesothelioma patients’ experience by gender: findings from a cross-sectional UK-national questionnaire |
| title_fullStr | Malignant pleural mesothelioma patients’ experience by gender: findings from a cross-sectional UK-national questionnaire |
| title_full_unstemmed | Malignant pleural mesothelioma patients’ experience by gender: findings from a cross-sectional UK-national questionnaire |
| title_short | Malignant pleural mesothelioma patients’ experience by gender: findings from a cross-sectional UK-national questionnaire |
| title_sort | malignant pleural mesothelioma patients experience by gender findings from a cross sectional uk national questionnaire |
| url | https://bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/9/1/e001050.full |
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