Levenets Olena, Chernysh Tetiana, Pavlova Milena, Groot Wim
Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
School of Health Care Management, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kiev, Ukraine.
Cancer Causes Control. 2025 Sep 2. doi: 10.1007/s10552-025-02022-2.
This study investigates how socio-economic and healthcare factors shape the coping strategies of patients diagnosed with cancer in Ukraine, including the decision to forego treatment. The focus is on how these variables influence patients' strategies to gain access to services, ensure better treatment quality, and decrease treatment costs.
Data were collected in 2021 through structured interviews in three oncological dispensaries and an online questionnaire among patients diagnosed with cancer in Ukraine (632 patients in total). Sequential logistic regression analyses were applied to identify patterns in selecting specific coping strategies.
The results show that socio-economic characteristics, the perception of service quality, financial resources, and the availability of support influence the choice of coping strategies. Older patients and women are more likely to use informal payments than connections. Patients, who perceive service quality as (very) bad and those finding it hard to afford treatment, are more likely to deploy coping strategies. Higher education and urban residency also impact the coping strategy applied.
The study highlights significant disparities in the choice of coping strategy regarding cancer treatment in Ukraine. Coping strategies, including informal payments and connections, are crucial for accessing and ensuring better treatment. These findings underscore the need for evidence-informed policies to support the most vulnerable cancer care patients in Ukraine.
本研究调查社会经济和医疗因素如何塑造乌克兰癌症患者的应对策略，包括放弃治疗的决定。重点在于这些变量如何影响患者获取服务、确保更好治疗质量以及降低治疗成本的策略。
2021年通过对乌克兰三家肿瘤诊疗所进行结构化访谈以及对乌克兰癌症患者进行在线问卷调查（共632名患者）收集数据。应用序贯逻辑回归分析来确定选择特定应对策略的模式。
结果表明，社会经济特征、服务质量感知、财务资源和支持的可获得性会影响应对策略的选择。老年患者和女性比通过人脉关系更倾向于使用非正式付费。认为服务质量（非常）差以及难以负担治疗费用的患者更有可能采用应对策略。高等教育和城市居住情况也会影响所采用的应对策略。
该研究凸显了乌克兰在癌症治疗应对策略选择上的显著差异。包括非正式付费和人脉关系在内的应对策略对于获得和确保更好的治疗至关重要。这些发现强调了制定基于证据的政策以支持乌克兰最脆弱癌症护理患者的必要性。
