You are here

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Volume 32, Issue Suppl 2
  • 2022-RA-1668-ESGO Patients’perspectives, fears and willingness to take preventive measures during second lockdown of COVID-19 pandemic. A study of NOGGO and EnGAGe Network

Article Text

Article menu

Download PDFPDF

Vaginal and vulvar cancer
2022-RA-1668-ESGO Patients’perspectives, fears and willingness to take preventive measures during second lockdown of COVID-19 pandemic. A study of NOGGO and EnGAGe Network
Free
  1. Desislava Dimitrova1,
  2. Murat Gultekin2,
  3. Petra Adámková3,
  4. Icó Tóth4,
  5. Aleksandra Strojna5,
  6. Kamil Zalewski6,
  7. Birthe Lemley7,
  8. Maria Papageorgiou8,
  9. Zlotan Novak9,
  10. Maren Keller10 and
  11. Jalid Sehouli1
  1. 1Department of Gynecology with Center for Oncological Surgery, Charité-University Hospital, Berlin, Germany
  2. 2Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynaecological Oncology, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
  3. 3European Network of Gynaecological Cancer Advocacy Groups (ENGAGe), ENGAGe Co-Chair, Prague, Czech Republic
  4. 4European Society of Gynaecological Oncoloy (ESGO, European Network of Gynaecological Cancers Advocacy Groups (ENGAGe) Executive Group, Prague, Czech Republic
  5. 5Department of Gynecological Surgery and Gynecological Oncology of Adults and Adolescents, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
  6. 6Department of Gynecological Oncology, Hollycross Cancer Center, Kielce, Poland Department of Molecular and Translational Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland, Kielce, Poland
  7. 7KIU – Patient Organisation for Women with Gynaecological Cancer, Copenhagen, Denmark
  8. 8K.E.F.I. Cancer Society, Athene, Greece
  9. 9Department of Gynecology, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary
  10. 10North-Eastern-German Society of Gynecological Oncology, Berlin, Germany

Abstract

Introduction/Background The COVID-19 pandemic is a major challenge to healthcare system worldwide. Since December 2020 the COVID -19 vaccine is approved and available. Jet the vaccination rate and the acceptance differs between European countries. Understanding patients’ perspective and giving voice to their fears is of great importance to meet the new challenges in heath care system.

Methodology We performed a survey among patients with gynecological cancer in 6 European countries between March and June 2021. The questionnaire included questions related to COVID-19 and exploring patients’ attitude towards preventive measures and the HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) score. The survey was promoted by national advocacy groups and was carried out online or as hard – copy version.

Results We collected 567 forms from 6 European countries. The median age of the participants was 61.3 in Denmark, 49.8 in Greece, 56.8 in Hungary, 61.2 in Poland, 56.4 in Turkey and 51.8 in UK. For only a small number of patients a change in the therapy plan due to COVID-19-Pandemic was necessary: 11.8% in Denmark, 21.4% in Greece, 12.5% in Hungary, 14.7% in Poland, 26.1% in UK. For patients of different countries the fear of cancer was greater as the fear of COVID-19. At time of the survey 65.4% in Denmark, 66.1% in Greece, 63.5% in Hungary, 47.8% in Poland, 24.7% in Turkey and 52.2% in UK have been already vaccinated and most were willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The HADS Scores were borderline abnormal or abnormal and similar between different countries.

Conclusion Among gynecological cancer patients anxiety and fear of cancer progression was stronger than fear of COVID-19. Health care professionalists should be aware of increased psychological burden due to COVID-19 pandemic and develop strategies to address this issue in patient care.

https://doi.org/10.1136/ijgc-2022-ESGO.1006

Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.