Abstract
Little is known of the quality of life (QoL) of cancer patients in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia, where healthcare delivery is geographically challenged. This exploratory study describes QoL among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cancer patients in the NT, in the first year of diagnosis. Participants were recruited from the only cancer care centre in the NT and completed the Assessment of Quality-of-Life questionnaire (AQoL-4D). The results were descriptively analysed. The participants’ (n = 63; mean age 58.8 years) mean AQoL utility score was 0.72 (SD 0.26); patients scored lowest in the relationships and mental health dimensions of the questionnaire (mean 0.89, SD 0.19, and 0.89, SD 0.17, respectively). Participants living in remote and very remote areas (46%) reported higher QoL scores, compared with participants in the outer regional capital city of the NT in the overall (mean 0.76, SD 0.22 and 0.78, SD 0.20 vs. 0.67, SD 0.29, respectively), and mental health dimensions (mean 0.92, SD 0.09 and mean 0.94, SD 0.06 vs. 0.85, SD 0.22, respectively). The findings were suggestive of clinically meaningful differences across socioeconomic groups, cancer and treatment types, and comorbidity status. Mean QoL scores were consistent with previous reports in other Australian cancer cohorts. The findings suggest a need to support cancer patients’ mental health and relationships during the diagnosis and treatment phase of their cancer journey.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilThe Northern Territory (NT) is situated in the central and central northern regions of Australia
We describe the quality of life (QoL) of a sample of NT cancer patients and explore variation in QoL associated with sociodemographic and clinical factors
Participants who lived in remote and very remote areas had higher QoL scores than those who lived in outer regional areas; a finding that was reported in the previous Queensland study [10]
Summary
The Northern Territory (NT) is situated in the central and central northern regions of Australia. Despite its large geographical coverage [1] it is sparsely populated, with less than 250,000 residents [2]. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up around thirty percent of this population [3], compared with three percent of the total Australian population. The NT is largely classified as very remote (very little access to services) or remote (very restricted access), with only the capital city, Darwin, being considered outer regional (significantly restricted access) [4,5]. Eighty percent of the NT Aboriginal population live in remote or very remote areas. Geographical remoteness presents a challenge for the optimal and equitable delivery of cancer treatment and other health services [6]
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