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Rodrigo Huerta-Gutierrez1, Efrén Murillo-Zamora2, Angélica Ángeles-Llerenas3
1Centro de Investigación en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública. Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.. rodrigo.huerta.gdv@gmail.com.
Insights
The Catastrophic Health Expenditures Fund (FPGC) did not reduce delays in seeking breast cancer care or starting treatment. This study found no association between the FPGC and patient care timelines.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Health Economics
- Public Health
Background:
- Timely medical care is crucial for breast cancer (BC) patient outcomes.
- Financial barriers can significantly delay diagnosis and treatment initiation.
- The Catastrophic Health Expenditures Fund (FPGC) was implemented to mitigate healthcare costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of the FPGC on delays in seeking medical care for breast cancer.
- To determine if the FPGC influenced the time to treatment initiation for breast cancer patients.
Main Methods:
- A before-and-after cross-sectional study design was employed.
- Data were collected from 266 women diagnosed with BC before FPGC implementation and 309 women diagnosed after.
- Statistical analysis adjusted for potential confounding factors.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant association was found between the FPGC and delays in seeking medical care for breast cancer.
- The FPGC was not associated with delays in initiating treatment for breast cancer patients.
Conclusions:
- The FPGC initiative did not effectively reduce delays in seeking breast cancer medical care.
- The implementation of the FPGC did not shorten the time to treatment for breast cancer patients.
Objective:
To assess whether the Catastrophic Health Expenditures Fund (FPGC, Spanish acronym) was associated with delays in seeking medical care and in starting treatment.
Materials And Methods:
We conducted a before and after cross-sectional study. We included 266 women with breast cancer (BC) diagnosis treated during the last three years before the hospitals received the FPGC and 309 wo-men treated in the following three years after the fund was received by the accredited hospitals.
Results:
After adjusting for potential confounders, we found no association between the FPGC and delay in seeking medical care or between the FPGC and the treatment delay.
Conclusions:
The FPGC initiative reduced neither the delay in seeking breast cancer medical care for breast cancer nor the treatment delay.