1622P A comparative study of the impact of countries’ health expenditure on the support experiences of patients with lymphoma and CLL in Europe

Abstract

Support for patients at any point in their patient experience is a crucial aspect of cancer care. Patients may require support from their families and healthcare providers, and they may also require referral to other relevant sources of support. Using data from the Lymphoma Coalition (LC) 2020 Global Patient Survey (GPS) on Lymphomas and CLL, this study examines the impact of countries’ health expenditure (as a percentage of the GDP) on the support experiences of patients with lymphoma in Europe. The 2020 GPS had 4,346 respondents from 36 European countries. Using the 2019 WHO Global Health Expenditure Database, LC calculated the average percentage of health spending by these European countries’ governments - 8.2%. A comparison was then done between respondents from countries with below-average health expenditure (BA-HE patients) (n=452) and countries with above-average health expenditure (AA-HE patients) (n=3894). Demographics of the two groups were examined, and statistical analyses of questions relating to patients’ support experiences were performed in IBM SPSS v27. Both groups were similar in their experience of receiving support from their doctors (Table). BA-HE patients were more likely than AA-HE patients to have needed and received financial, emotional, and practical support (Table). They were also twice as likely as AA-HE patients to have needed and not received financial support, and 1.5 times more likely to need and not receive practical support for help with their daily tasks.Table: 1622PSupport experiences of patients with lymphoma or CLL in EuropeSupport experiencesBA-HE (%)AA-HE (%)OR (95% CI) (p-value) *, **Support from doctors Yes No Did not need support78% 21% 4%82% 16% 2%1.84 (0.66-5.11) p=0.24 2.32 (0.81-6.58) p=0.11 refEmotional support Yes No Did not need support67% 23% 10%52% 31% 17%1.44 (0.99-2.07) p=0.05 0.84 (0.56-1.26) p=0.40 refFinancial support Yes No Did not need support35% 45% 20%19% 36% 45%2.67 (1.97-3.61) p<0.001 2.14 (1.62-2.84) p<0.001 refPractical support Yes No Did not need support52% 27% 21%36% 26% 39%2.07 (1.58-2.71) p<0.001 1.49 (1.10-2.00) p=0.009 ref*Adjusted for age, sex and area lived in **Reference category-AA-HE. Open table in a new tab *Adjusted for age, sex and area lived in **Reference category-AA-HE. Differences exist in how patients with lymphoma and CLL in Europe experience support. Healthcare providers need to continue to work with patients to develop individualised care plans to help them cope effectively throughout their patient experience. Community-based support programs can supplement resources available through the cancer clinic.