Barriers to, and facilitators of, access to cancer services and experiences of cancer care for adults with a physical disability: a mixed methods systematic review

Edwards, Deborah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1885-9297, Sakellariou, Dikaios ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2668-2834 and Anstey, Sally ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2295-3761 2020. Barriers to, and facilitators of, access to cancer services and experiences of cancer care for adults with a physical disability: a mixed methods systematic review. Disability and Health Journal 13 (1) , 100844. 10.1016/j.dhjo.2019.100844

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Abstract

Background Cancer services need to be inclusive and accessible by everybody, including people with disabilities. However, there is evidence suggesting that people with disabilities experience poorer access to cancer services, compared to people without disabilities. Objectives To investigate the barriers and facilitators of access to cancer services for people with physical disabilities and their experiences of cancer care. Methods A mixed-method systematic review was conducted following the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre approach. We used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT -Version 11) to assess the quality of the included studies. We employed thematic synthesis to bring together data from across both qualitative and quantitative studies and we assessed the strength of synthesised findings using the Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research (CERQual) approach. Results Seven quantitative studies and 10 qualitative studies (across 18 publications) were included. The findings highlighted a dearth of research on the experiences of men with disabilities. Furthermore, only one study explored experiences of cancer treatment, with all other studies focusing on cancer screening. Five synthesised findings were identified that reflected barriers and facilitators, highlighting both what makes access to services difficult and what are the strategies that could improve it. Conclusions Knowing what works for people with disabilities can enable the delivery of appropriate services. The findings of this review suggest that the mere existence of services does not guarantee their usability. Services need to be relevant, flexible, and accessible, and offered in a respectful manner.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Healthcare Sciences
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	1936-6574
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	10 October 2019
Date of Acceptance:	8 October 2019
Last Modified:	07 Nov 2024 10:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/125975

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