Breast Cancer Treatment in Integrated Care Process in Andalusia: The Challenge of Multidisciplinarity

Carmen Rodríguez-Reinado (), Ana Delgado-Parrilla and Juan Alguacil
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Carmen Rodríguez-Reinado: Clinical, Environmental and Social Transformation Epidemiology Research Group, Department of Sociology, Social Work and Public Health, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain
Ana Delgado-Parrilla: Clinical, Environmental and Social Transformation Epidemiology Research Group, Department of Sociology, Social Work and Public Health, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain
Juan Alguacil: Clinical, Environmental and Social Transformation Epidemiology Research Group, Department of Sociology, Social Work and Public Health, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-19

Abstract: Despite the increasing trend in the incidence of breast cancer in recent decades, mortality has decreased in developed countries. The general objective of the study is to analyse the functioning and organisation of the care process for breast cancer treatment in Andalusia (Spain) in order to identify possible barriers and facilitators that may be affecting its effectiveness and, therefore, the survival of the disease. A qualitative method was adopted based on 19 semi-structured interviews with health professionals from different specialities in two Andalusian provinces: Huelva (mortality rate higher than the national average) and Granada (mortality rate similar to the national average). Results show the existence of barriers (seasonal delays, low frequency of multidisciplinary meetings, lack of human and technical resources, difficulties in accessing treatment in certain populations, etc.) and facilitators (creation of multidisciplinary units and committees for breast pathology, standardisation of treatments, assignment of professionals with preferential attention to breast pathology, etc.) in the care process of breast cancer treatment. The combination of these barriers can have an impact on the accessibility, quality, and efficacy of the treatment, and in the long term, on survival from the disease.

Keywords: breast cancer; barrier; facilitator; multidisciplinary; treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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