More than 40% of cancer patients not seen by specialist in two weeks
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《英国医生杂志》
More than 40% of patients who go on to receive a diagnosis of cancer are not having their referrals classed as "urgent" by their GPs, with the result that they are not being seen by a specialist within two weeks, a report from the National Audit Office says.
In a survey in 2004 of 4000 patients in England with breast, lung, bowel, or prostate cancer—a repeat of a poll carried out in 2000—the watchdog body found that some types of patient are likely to be referred more quickly than others.
Patients with breast cancer were seen the quickest, with 70% seeing a specialist within two weeks. Patients with prostate cancer were the slowest to be seen, with 68% failing to get an urgent referral.
Bowel cancer patients also had long waits, with 20% waiting between one and three months from referral before seeing a specialist.
The Department of Health has a target that all patients who are given an urgent referral for suspected cancer by their GP should be seen by a specialist within two weeks. Although this target is being met in 99% of cases, many people with cancer are still not being referred urgently, said the audit office. According to the findings of its survey, more than 40% of patients who turn out to have cancer had still waited more than two weeks from GP referral to see a specialist, and 20% waited for more than a month.
The report says these differences may reflect the fact that some cancers are harder to spot. It can be difficult, for example, for GPs to separate symptoms of bowel cancer from those of other conditions.
However, the audit office painted a broadly positive picture of patients' experiences. For example, two thirds of patients said the care from their GP was "very good," and more than 90% of patients considered they were told bad news with suitable sensitivity.
Nevertheless, gaps in service remained. Prostate cancer patients in particular reported a worse experience than other cancer patients. They were less positive about referral times, about discussion of side effects and of how treatment had gone, and about having a named nurse in charge of care.
James Gostick, an audit manager, said that the health department's guidance on prostate cancers was still settling in and called for all patients to have access to a urological cancer nurse specialist.
He said, "Prostate cancer services have not been developed as quickly as some in the past. Their guidance came out in 2002, some years after guidance for other major cancers, so we expect to see improvement in coming years."
Patients in London were less positive about their care than patients in other parts of the country, although they have better survival rates and lower mortality. Forty per cent of cancer patients in London did not receive any written information, and 40% were not given information on relevant support groups.
The survey found that almost two thirds of patients were in pain while receiving hospital treatment, slightly less than in 2000. Fifteen per cent said they did not think staff had done everything they could to reduce pain.(Rebecca Coombes)
In a survey in 2004 of 4000 patients in England with breast, lung, bowel, or prostate cancer—a repeat of a poll carried out in 2000—the watchdog body found that some types of patient are likely to be referred more quickly than others.
Patients with breast cancer were seen the quickest, with 70% seeing a specialist within two weeks. Patients with prostate cancer were the slowest to be seen, with 68% failing to get an urgent referral.
Bowel cancer patients also had long waits, with 20% waiting between one and three months from referral before seeing a specialist.
The Department of Health has a target that all patients who are given an urgent referral for suspected cancer by their GP should be seen by a specialist within two weeks. Although this target is being met in 99% of cases, many people with cancer are still not being referred urgently, said the audit office. According to the findings of its survey, more than 40% of patients who turn out to have cancer had still waited more than two weeks from GP referral to see a specialist, and 20% waited for more than a month.
The report says these differences may reflect the fact that some cancers are harder to spot. It can be difficult, for example, for GPs to separate symptoms of bowel cancer from those of other conditions.
However, the audit office painted a broadly positive picture of patients' experiences. For example, two thirds of patients said the care from their GP was "very good," and more than 90% of patients considered they were told bad news with suitable sensitivity.
Nevertheless, gaps in service remained. Prostate cancer patients in particular reported a worse experience than other cancer patients. They were less positive about referral times, about discussion of side effects and of how treatment had gone, and about having a named nurse in charge of care.
James Gostick, an audit manager, said that the health department's guidance on prostate cancers was still settling in and called for all patients to have access to a urological cancer nurse specialist.
He said, "Prostate cancer services have not been developed as quickly as some in the past. Their guidance came out in 2002, some years after guidance for other major cancers, so we expect to see improvement in coming years."
Patients in London were less positive about their care than patients in other parts of the country, although they have better survival rates and lower mortality. Forty per cent of cancer patients in London did not receive any written information, and 40% were not given information on relevant support groups.
The survey found that almost two thirds of patients were in pain while receiving hospital treatment, slightly less than in 2000. Fifteen per cent said they did not think staff had done everything they could to reduce pain.(Rebecca Coombes)