Tag Archive for: implicit biases

Disparities in Cervical Cancer Treatment: The Role of Poverty and Systemic Barriers

Cervical cancer treatment disparities exist, but what role do poverty and systemic barriers play? Expert Dr. Shannon MacLaughlan from University of Illinois discusses the impact of poverty and systemic barriers and proactive patient advice for improving your care and reducing cervical cancer disparities. 

[ACT]IVATION TIP

“…for someone who is diagnosed for the first time, bring someone with you, bring someone with you, every time you see any kind of provider, when at all possible, because the health care system has not been designed for you, obviously, because we failed you. Bringing someone with you helps you close that gap.”

 

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Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Dr. MacLaughlan, what are the noted disparities you’ve observed in the treatment of cervical cancer among different demographic groups?

Shannon MacLaughlan:

This is a tough question to answer, not because I don’t know the answer, but because the answer requires taking ownership of the problem as a provider. Cervical cancer is preventable, because we have a very effective vaccine against the HPV virus, and because we have tools to screen for cervical cancer, including Pap smears, including HPV testing, and when patients are diagnosed with cervical cancer, it means the system failed them. It means that everything we think we’re doing to prevent something bad from happening to a person, we are not doing effectively.

And so when I think about a preventable cancer and who gets it, it’s the people who fall through the cracks. And the people who fall through the cracks are the people who are coming from vulnerable communities, where perhaps their biggest existential threat is not whether or not they get a Pap smear, but whether or not they can put food on the table, or whether or not they have a roof over their heads, or whether or not they can keep their children safe. So disparities and inequities tend to align with poverty and systemic racism and implicit biases and just flat-out marginalization.

So that the demographics that are experiencing the highest mortality, and experiencing the highest incidence of cervical cancer are women of color, Native American and Alaska Native patients, patients of Hispanic backgrounds, and immigrants. So my action tip for this, for someone who is diagnosed for the first time, bring someone with you, bring someone with you, every time you see any kind of provider, when at all possible, because the health care system has not been designed for you, obviously, because we failed you. Bringing someone with you helps you close that gap.

For our Hispanic patients, a huge barrier is a language barrier, and we’re required, if we don’t speak the language, we’re required to provide interpreters in the context of the clinic visit, but the clinic visit is actually only a very small part of a treatment journey. The moment you have to navigate getting to the campus of a medical center, you have to navigate the medical center itself. You may have to ask for directions. You’re going to have appointments with a gynecologic oncologist or radiation oncologist, nuclear medicine, radiology, an infusion unit. Come with another set of eyes and ears. It’s a great idea to bring your own interpreter, if you can.


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