Cancer Patients' Unmet Needs in Three Low- to Middle- Income Countries: Perspectives from Health Care Providers

Cancer Invest. 2023 Jan 16:1-8. doi: 10.1080/07357907.2023.2167210. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

We sought to determine differences by low- and middle- income countries (Brazil, Romania, and Turkiye) on the degree to which health care providers (HCPs) note unmet needs among patients with cancer (N = 741). HCPs endorsed sexuality/intimacy and financial concerns as the most common. Investigating age differences in unmet needs between Brazil and Turkiye, were that should be targeted by. Results revealed that unmet needs to manage emotional distress were higher among older patients in Turkiye, whereas unmet needs to manage insomnia/fatigue were higher among pediatric patients in Brazil. Findings may guide the development of programs to address unmet needs among patients.

Keywords: Low- and middle-income countries; cancer; oncology; psycho-oncology; supportive care; unmet needs.