Two-thirds of Swedish cancer survivors struggle to get adequate primary care
A new survey of 2,131 cancer survivors in Sweden found that 67% face barriers to satisfactory primary care—a finding with major implications for health systems trying to manage growing survivor populations. The results suggest that expanding primary care's role in cancer follow-up, a strategy gaining traction across Europe, requires solving fundamental access and coordination problems first.
Originaltitel: Barriers to satisfactory primary care contacts for Swedish cancer survivors: a cross-sectional survey.
**Två av tre canceröverlevare möter vårdhinder i primärvården** Sveriges primärvård når inte tillräckligt många canceröverlevare. En undersökning bland 2 131 patienter som diagnosticerades för 1–2 eller 5–6 år sedan visar att 67 procent upplever minst ett hinder för tillfredsställande primärvårdskontakter. Studiedeltagare med kolorektal-, lung-, bröst- eller prostatacancer från södra Sverige svarade på enkät om vårdhinder, hälsoproblem och vårdkontakter. Barriärerna gäller främst relationsöppföljning och tillgänglighet — nyckelord för långsiktig patientövervakning och återfallspotentiering. För ekonomichefer i regioner och sjukvårdsföretag signalerar resultaten behov av omfördeling av primärvårdsresurser. Canceröverlevares hälsobehov är ofta ouppfyllda, vilket riskerar både patientutfall och välfärdskostnader framöver. Lunds universitet och Region Skåne genomförde studien.
BACKGROUND: The number of cancer survivors is increasing, but their health care needs are often unmet. Increased involvement of primary care has been suggested to address this. Several barriers to satisfactory primary care contacts for cancer survivors have been identified but little studied in a Swedish context. AIM: To explore barriers to satisfactory primary care contacts for Swedish cancer survivors, and factors associated with these barriers. METHOD: In 2023, patients in southern Sweden diagnosed with colorectal, lung, breast, or prostate cancer 1-2 or 5-6 years ago were invited to complete a digital questionnaire. The questionnaire covered quality of life, health problems, health care needs, and health care contacts. Respondents also rated the extent to which they had experienced six types of barriers to satisfactory primary care contacts. Logistic regression models were fitted to explore the relationship between barriers and other questionnaire variables. RESULTS: A total of 8262 individuals were invited, and 2131 responded. Two-thirds (1429/2131; 67%) reported one or more barriers to satisfactory primary care contacts. Lack of CONCLUSION: From the perspective of Swedish cancer survivors, improved relational continuity and access to primary care is needed.