Research from Technical University Dresden (TU Dresden) in the Area of Skin Cancer Described (A Qualitative Needs Analysis of Skin Cancer Care from the Perspectives of Patients, Physicians, and Health Insurance Representatives-A Case Study from …): Oncology – Skin Cancer

Insurance Daily News

2022 MAY 10 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New study results on skin cancer have been published. According to news reporting out of Dresden, Germany, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the number of patients is steadily increasing. In skin cancer care, greater interdisciplinary cooperation is required for prevention, early detection, and new complex systemic therapies.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Technical University Dresden (TU Dresden): “However, the implementation of innovative medical care is a major challenge, especially for rural regions with an older than average, multimorbid population, with limited mobility, that are long distances from medical facilities. Solutions are necessary to ensure comprehensive oncological care in rural regions. The aim of this study was to identify indicators to establish a regional care network for integrated skin cancer care. To capture the perspectives of different stakeholder groups, we conducted two focus groups with twenty skin cancer patients and their relatives, a workshop with eight physicians, and three semi-structured interviews with health insurance company representatives. Qualitative data were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed following Mayring’s content analysis methods. We generated ten categories based on the reported optimization potentials; five categories were assigned to all three stakeholder groups: Prevention and early diagnosis, accessibility of physicians/clinics, physicians’ resources, care provider’s responsibilities, and information exchange. The results indicate the need for stronger integration of care in the region.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “They provide the basis for regional networking as, for example, the conception of treatment pathways or telemedicine with the aim to improve a comprehensive skin cancer care. Our study should raise awareness and postulate as a demand that all patients receive guideline-based therapy, regardless of where they live.”

For more information on this research see: A Qualitative Needs Analysis of Skin Cancer Care from the Perspectives of Patients, Physicians, and Health Insurance Representatives-A Case Study from Eastern Saxony, Germany. Current Oncology, 2022,29(212):2583-2598. The publisher for Current Oncology is MDPI AG.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol29040212.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Josephine Mathiebe, Center for Evidence-Based Healthcare, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus and Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, Technical University Dresden (TU Dresden), 01307 Dresden, Germany. Additional authors for this research include Lydia Reinhardt, Maike Bergmann, Marina Lindauer, Alina Herrmann, Cristin Strasser, Friedegund Meier, Jochen Schmitt.