Ramashia Portia N, Nkosi Pauline B, Mbonane Thokozani P
Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.
Faculty of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4000, South Africa.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Nov 30;21(12):1597. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21121597.
Access to radiotherapy services is critical for effective cancer treatment, yet patients in sub-Saharan Africa face numerous barriers to accessing these services. The region is experiencing a significant increase in cancer cases, with a more than 85% increase in cancer cases reported in the past decade, highlighting the critical role of radiotherapy in enhancing patient prognosis. This systematic review aims to explore the barriers to radiotherapy access in sub-Saharan Africa. The barriers explored will be used to inform the development of the framework to improve access to radiotherapy in the Gauteng provinces, South Africa.
A systematic search of electronic databases was conducted to identify relevant studies published between January 2013 and December 2023. Studies reporting on barriers to radiotherapy access in SSA were included and put into four categories of barriers: health system factors, patient sociodemographic factors, patient factors, and provider factors. Data were synthesised using thematic analysis.
This review identifies geographical, financial, cultural, logistical, and systemic barriers to radiotherapy access in sub-Saharan Africa, including limited infrastructure, long travel distances, and inequitable distribution of services. Systemic barriers, including policy gaps and governance issues, also contribute to the inequitable distribution of radiotherapy services in the region.
This systematic review highlights the diverse array of barriers to radiotherapy access in sub-Saharan Africa and emphasises the urgent need for targeted interventions to address these challenges.
获得放疗服务对于有效的癌症治疗至关重要，但撒哈拉以南非洲的患者在获取这些服务时面临诸多障碍。该地区癌症病例显著增加，过去十年报告的癌症病例增加了85%以上，这凸显了放疗在改善患者预后方面的关键作用。本系统评价旨在探讨撒哈拉以南非洲放疗服务获取方面的障碍。所探讨的障碍将用于为南非豪登省改善放疗服务获取框架的制定提供信息。
对电子数据库进行系统检索，以识别2013年1月至2023年12月期间发表的相关研究。纳入报告撒哈拉以南非洲放疗服务获取障碍的研究，并将其分为四类障碍：卫生系统因素、患者社会人口学因素、患者因素和提供者因素。使用主题分析对数据进行综合分析。
本评价确定了撒哈拉以南非洲放疗服务获取方面的地理、经济、文化、后勤和系统障碍，包括基础设施有限、路途遥远以及服务分配不均。包括政策差距和治理问题在内的系统障碍也导致了该地区放疗服务的不公平分配。
本系统评价突出了撒哈拉以南非洲放疗服务获取方面的各种障碍，并强调迫切需要采取有针对性的干预措施来应对这些挑战。
