Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Medical Sciences, cilt.40, sa.4, ss.399-405, 2020 (SCI-Expanded)
ight © 2020 by Türkiye Klinikleri. This is an open.Objective: Our study aimed to examine the awareness of cancer patients about coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), their compliance with the measures and their access to health services in line with the information received from the patients. Material and Methods: In the 4-month period between December 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020, patients who were operated for the first time due to cancer were found in Ankara University Surgical Oncology Clinic and communication was established by phone. In order to apply a short questionnaire with 13 questions, a questionnaire link made using Google forms (Google Inc, California, USA) was sent to their phones, their relatives' phones or e-mail addresses. Results: The population consisted of 58.4% (n=83) female and 41.5% (59) male patients. The mean age was 55.97±18.8 years. The patients stated that 73% (n=104) completely complied with the mask distance and hygiene rules, 20% (n=29) of them stated that they followed the rules frequently. 40.1% of the patients stated that they did not apply to the hospital unless an emergency occurred during this period. While 40.8% of the patients answered that they feared COVID-19 and epidemic diseases, 59.2% of the patients chose the option of cancer. Conclusion: Although most of the cancer patients in our study partially applied the mask distance and hygiene rules even before the pandemic, it was observed that these measures were more important during the pandemic process. However, it is obvious that this sensitivity in cancer patients may cause delays in hospital admissions and especially in the diagnosis stage.