Racial/ethnic disparities in patient care experiences among prostate cancer survivors: A SEER-CAHPS study.

Abstract

291 Background: To evaluate racial/ethnic disparities in patient care experiences (PCEs) among prostate cancer (PCa) survivors. Methods: This retrospective study used 2007-2015 National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registry data linked to Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys. First survey ≥6 months post-PCa diagnosis was analyzed. We performed linear regression modelling to evaluate the association of race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White (NHW), non-Hispanic Black (NHB), Hispanic, non-Hispanic Asian (NHA), and other races) with PCE composite measures (getting needed care, doctor communication, getting care quickly, getting needed prescription drugs, customer service), and rating measures (primary physician, specialist, health plan, and overall care) adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates. Results: Among 7453 PCa survivors, NHAs (vs. NHWs) reported disparities in more PCE measures than any other racial/ethnic minority; reported lower scores for customer (ß = -7.58; p = 0.003), getting needed prescription drugs (ß = -3.08; p = 0.020) and specialist rating (ß = -2.32; p = 0.021) besides lower scores for getting care quickly. NHBs scored better on doctor communication (ß = 1.96; p = 0.006) and primary physician rating (ß = 1.28; p = 0.047) than NHWs. No statistically significant differences were found between other races and NHWs. Conclusions: Racial/ethnic minority PCa survivors reported worse experiences than NHW survivors on several PCE measures. Further research is needed to understand reasons behind these disparities and their influence on healthcare utilization and health outcomes among PCa survivors.