The multilevel model I have decided to examine is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patient in Canada. Its no surprise that the pandemic has created a ripple effect in the world, whose mark is large and long lasting, however one of the most affected populations by the pandemic are cancer patients.
At the individual level, cancer patients have had their treatments delayed or changed due to the strain the pandemic has put on the health care system (Mayor, 2020). In addition to this, the lack of health care workers in hospitals has further diminished the patient's experience (Mayor, 2020). Unfortunately, due to these strains the rate of diagnosis of cancer in the first few months of the pandemic has also decreased causing later stage diagnosis (Mayor, 2020).
At the systemic level, we see that the pandemic’s ripple effect has spread much wider than expected, and the rate of mortality has dramatically increased and will continue to increase in the coming years due to the lack of health care professionals available for cancer units, delays in cancer treatemnts, late stage diagnosis due to cancer screening interruptions, and testing backlogs (Wilkonson, 2022).
Using the multi-level model on the impact of the pandemic on cancer patients allows us to see the dramatic effect it has had and continues to have on this vulnerable population.
Resources:
Mayor, S. (2020). Covid-19: Impact on cancer workforce and delivery of care. The Lancet Oncology, 21(5), 633. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1470-2045(20)30240-0
Wilkinson, A. N. (2022). Mitigating covid-19’s impact on missed and delayed cancer diagnoses. Canadian Family Physician, 68(5), 323–324. https://doi.org/10.46747/cfp.6805323
