Richard Sullivan: The “Western Model” of Patient Pathways Bears Little Resemblance to the Reality Across Most of the World
Richard Sullivan, Director, Institute for Cancer Policy and Co-Director Centre for Conflict and Health Research at King’s College London, posted on LinkedIn:
“The ‘Western model’ of patient pathways, moving from community/primary care through to district and specialist hospital care, all within national boundaries, bears little resemblance to the reality of patient journeys across most of the world. Nearly a decade after the start of the research for conflict and health in the Middle East program and the subsequent program on health systems strengthening in Syria, the Lancet Oncology has published a series of papers on the state of cancer across the Middle East.
Mac Skelton’s brilliant work on therapeutic geographies reflects a protean reality for cancer patients, buffeted by insecurity and conflict, moving within and between countries in search of care. Even within high-income countries like the USA, economic insecurity creates unique, fragmented therapeutic geographies for vulnerable patients. These dynamic and unstable pathways create the lethal conditions for delays and poor quality care.
While moves are underway to develop navigation and coordination models within countries, the ever-growing cross-border care challenge, especially for forcibly displaced populations, has only started to be investigated.
The UN system, in its current state, will not solve this any time soon, and it will be up to the wider humanitarian and global community to develop solutions.”
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