Does geography and place of residence affect cancer care?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does geography and place of residence affect cancer care? An interview study.
IRAS ID
249905
Contact name
Romi A Carriere
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Research Governance
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
There evidence that rural patients tend to have poorer health outcomes than those living in cities. Potential reasons include differences in coping with illness, different attitudes about illness, the nature of rural lifestyles, and poorer access to healthcare services. Some of these factors may delay presentation of cancer, and delay seeking treatment in a timely manner. Differences in health outcomes between urban and rural populations have been described in a number of health conditions, and to date cancer survival/health outcomes have been the most extensively researched. Rurality has been associated with poorer cancer outcomes in the UK and elsewhere. However, as with rural health disadvantage overall, the underlying causes are uncertain. There is some evidence that rural populations are less likely to take-up cancer screening and then receive less surgery and chemotherapy when they do develop cancer. This research project will explore whether urban and rural patients engage differently with health services by interviewing patients about their diagnostic pathway, their interactions with the healthcare service, their treatment choices, and how these may have been influenced by where they live.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
19/NS/0032
Date of REC Opinion
4 Mar 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion