During phase 1 of the COVID-19 emergency, all Italian citizens had to quarantine at home to reduce the transmission of the virus. People living with cancer were considered at higher risk for infection and severe events. Moreover, they had to face several challenges in accessing healthcare services, especially those travelling to receive cancer care. Therefore, it is important to get a complete picture of the cancer experience during the lockdown from the patient perspective. Material and Methods: An online survey was conducted from March 29th to May 3rd, 2020. Italian cancer patients were invited to participate while they were staying at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data about their socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, the perception of self-isolation (ISOLA scale), the measures they adopted to reduce their infectious risk, and beliefs about the impact of the pandemic on their disease were collected. The study was approved by the scientific committee of the Italian Association of Cancer Nurses (AIIAO). Results: Overall, 195 adult people living with cancer completed the survey. They were mainly women (76%), with a mean age of 50.3 years (SD=11.2), diagnosed with haematological malignancy (51.3%), and at home in self-isolation for more than 6 weeks (39.5%). Most of them never/rarely (80.4%) left their house, except for their health (49.7%) and going to the supermarket (50.3%). About 54% believed to be at higher risk for COVID-19 infection and 51% for complications. To prevent COVID-19 infection, 29% of them used some remedies to boost their immune system. Those who experienced most social problems in quarantine were the older ones, with lower education, and living without children. About 29% of participants reported that their cancer was not under control, as 24% reported that their frequency of going to the hospital had diminished and 38% were not going to the hospital at all during the pandemic. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown had a significant impact on cancer patients' lives. Living with cancer in quarantine was sometimes perceived as a scaring and isolating condition of neglect, which added uncertainty to the cancer experience.
Staying at home in the COVID-19 pandemic: The perspective of people living with cancer participating at the AIIAO survey
Albanesi Beatrice;
2020-01-01
Abstract
During phase 1 of the COVID-19 emergency, all Italian citizens had to quarantine at home to reduce the transmission of the virus. People living with cancer were considered at higher risk for infection and severe events. Moreover, they had to face several challenges in accessing healthcare services, especially those travelling to receive cancer care. Therefore, it is important to get a complete picture of the cancer experience during the lockdown from the patient perspective. Material and Methods: An online survey was conducted from March 29th to May 3rd, 2020. Italian cancer patients were invited to participate while they were staying at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data about their socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, the perception of self-isolation (ISOLA scale), the measures they adopted to reduce their infectious risk, and beliefs about the impact of the pandemic on their disease were collected. The study was approved by the scientific committee of the Italian Association of Cancer Nurses (AIIAO). Results: Overall, 195 adult people living with cancer completed the survey. They were mainly women (76%), with a mean age of 50.3 years (SD=11.2), diagnosed with haematological malignancy (51.3%), and at home in self-isolation for more than 6 weeks (39.5%). Most of them never/rarely (80.4%) left their house, except for their health (49.7%) and going to the supermarket (50.3%). About 54% believed to be at higher risk for COVID-19 infection and 51% for complications. To prevent COVID-19 infection, 29% of them used some remedies to boost their immune system. Those who experienced most social problems in quarantine were the older ones, with lower education, and living without children. About 29% of participants reported that their cancer was not under control, as 24% reported that their frequency of going to the hospital had diminished and 38% were not going to the hospital at all during the pandemic. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown had a significant impact on cancer patients' lives. Living with cancer in quarantine was sometimes perceived as a scaring and isolating condition of neglect, which added uncertainty to the cancer experience.
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