Patterns of Health Care Utilization during Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: A Cross Sectional Study in

K Akhtar1, K Akhtar, S Nahar

  • 1Dr Khursheda Akhtar, Assistant Professor, Community Medicine, National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dhaka, Bangladesh;

Female breast cancer can be diagnosed easily; but due to inappropriate health care utilization, health-seeking is lag behind. The objectives of the study were to find out the pattern of utilization of health care during breast cancer diagnosis and treatment and their health seeking time. We conducted this cross sectional study for one year; from July 2017 to June 2018 among 200 newly diagnose patients with breast cancer whose were selected randomly from National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from the listed patients who attended at the outpatient department of chemotherapy day care center for treatment. Delay in reporting, wrong reporting, double reporting, delay in hospital admission, long queue for administrative work and delay to reach cancer specialist play a role in utilization of health care. Results showed that health care service delivery and utilization was found to be significant by (p<0.05) associated with the provider delay (p=0.010), total delay (p=0.017), delay to consult with cancer specialist (p<0.0001). By logistic regression it analyzed that utilization of health care there had 2 times more likely to cause provider delay (OR=2.5; 95% CI 1.087-5.762) p=0.03. Utilization of health care influenced stage of cancer with delay help seeking and diagnostic institution also. As low middle income country, like Bangladesh, delays in seeking consultation, late presentation and the availability of breast cancer management for all patients, represent major challenges.

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