Evaluating patient experience and healthcare utilisation in Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy

Adrian Siu; Daniel Steffens; Nabila Ansari; Sascha Karunaratne; Henna Solanki; Nima Ahmadi; Michael Solomon; Cherry Koh

Just Accepted

This article has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. It is in production and has not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

Evaluating patient experience and healthcare utilisation in Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy

Adrian Siu, Daniel Steffens , Nabila Ansari, Sascha Karunaratne, Henna Solanki, Nima Ahmadi, Michael Solomon, Cherry Koh

Abstract

Introduction – Approximately 30% of Australians reside in rural communities, where accessing healthcare facilitates can be challenging due to considerable distances. This can result in disparities in healthcare equity, subsequently increasing risk of adverse health outcomes, delayed diagnosis, and diminished quality of life. These geographical constraints may be exacerbated in advanced cancers where treatment is only available at selected centres with appropriate expertise. Objective – To explore the impact of patient residence on experience and healthcare utilisation following cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Methods – A retrospective study examined consecutive CRS and HIPEC patients at Royal Prince Alfred hospital from 2017 to 2022. Patients were stratified as metropolitan and regional based on their postcode. Demographics, experiential, and healthcare utilisation data were collected at multiple timepoints. Statistical analysis included chi-squared and T-tests. Results – Among the 317 participants, 228 (72%) were from metropolitan and 89 (28%) from regional areas. Regional patients tended to rate their hospital experience as “very good” (p=0.016). Metropolitan patients were more compliant with surgical follow-up (p<0.001). No other differences were observed in patient characteristics, experience, or healthcare utilisation. Conclusions – Geographical location of patients undergoing CRS and HIPEC for peritoneal malignancies at a major tertiary referral centre did not significantly influence their experience or healthcare utilisation outcomes. Future studies should evaluate long-term healthcare service utilisation or the ramifications of reduced follow-up on recurrence and survival, contributing to a deeper understanding of resource allocation in metropolitan and regional Australia, and illuminating its impact on clinical outcomes.

AH24192 Accepted 17 September 2024