Inequities in Access: How Utilization of Palliative Radiation Therapy in British Columbia Varies with Geography

Referral and utilization rates are important measures of the quality of service offered by hospitals and clinics, specifically in regard to access to appropriate care. This study measured referral rates and utilization rates for palliative radiation therapy (PRT) for the different health authorities in British Columbia (BC), Canada, to establish areas where there were variations in access.

Incident data was taken from the British Columbia Cancer registry between 1986 and 1999. Radiation therapy (RT) data were extracted between 1986 and 2005. The extra years were included to allow time for any disease progression that may have occurred. Referral rates were defined as the percentage of incident cases that had a consultation at the British Columbia Cancer Agency. The PRT utilization rate was defined as the percentage of incident cases receiving at least one course of palliative radiation therapy. Data were analysed for each of the 16 Health Service Delivery Areas in BC.

Significant geographical variations in both referral rates and utilization rates were identified. Generally, both referral rates and utilization rates were lower in areas where there is limited or difficult access to a cancer centre. After building a cancer centre in the Interior region of BC, both referral and utilization rates increased.

Utilization of palliative radiation varies depending on where people live. Access to RT is lower in remote geographical areas, implying a barrier to essential health care services. This seems to be related to lower referral rates in those areas.