Thyroid cancer survivors’ experience in Armenia: a qualitative study

Abstract

This study aimed to explore TC survivors’ experience from the patients’ and healthcare providers’ perspectives in Yerevan, Armenia. Methods: A qualitative approach was used with in-depth interviews with patients, endocrinologists, and endocrine surgeons recruited by convenience sampling method. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic during the study period, we collected the data via online interviews. The semi-structured interview guides with open-ended questions, prompts, and probes, were developed separately for TC survivors and health care providers. The guides were based on Warwick’s framework and contained open-ended thematic questions exploring the domains of the framework. A mixed approach including deductive and inductive methods was used to create data driven codes and group them into categories and themes. Both code and meaning saturation was reached. Results: Ten patients and six health care providers participated in this study. Four major categories (continuity of care, communication and information, the patient as an active participant, and responsiveness.) were generated based on the theoretical framework. The study found the referral flow in the diagnosis and treatment processes was not always well directed towards efficient care. The inadequacy of interdisciplinary collaboration resulted in fragmented care. Patients were unaware of their rights and had a vague understanding of their roles in TC treatment. Lack of trust in health care providers lead to failed patient-provider communication by approaching more than one specialist. Conclusion: This study was successful in looking into TC survivors' experiences and associated challenges in Armenia from the patients' and healthcare providers' perspectives. The findings illustrated distinct patterns of TC diagnosis and treatment pathways and revealed valuable insights into the barriers. This project could serve as a roadmap for health care providers to better understand and meet patients' needs.