Surveying Indigenous Cancer Support Needs Survey Design and Development

Abstract

Cancer survival rates are currently lower amongst Indigenous Peoples in Canada than non-Indigenous Peoples in Canada (1). Health professionals speculate that late cancer diagnosis and limited access to screening and support services are some of the main factors contributing to lower survival rate among Indigenous cancer patients (2). Fortunately, social supports have been found to improve cancer survival rates (3,4). Yet, there is little known about whether cancer support services meet the needs of Indigenous peoples. The purpose of this research was to create two survey tools that could evaluate the cancer support needs of Indigenous patients in Saskatchewan from both patient and health care provider perspectives. Surveys were created using existing cancer support surveys as reference, though none previously existed specific to Indigenous cancer patients. In addition, current literature surrounding Indigenous cancer supports was used to create the surveys along with informant input. Both surveys were created by matching survey content to themes to those found in an environmental scan and those in interviews from a study also evaluating cancer support needs for Indigenous patients. Surveys were validated using respondent validation and informant feedback. The result of this research was two survey tools; one to evaluate patient perspectives and another to evaluate health care provider or facilitator views on cancer support needs for Indigenous patients. The results of this study will benefit Indigenous cancer patients, their families, and their communities. The two surveys created in this study could help to inform health professionals and policy makers on the needs of Indigenous cancer supports in future research.