Older people’s beliefs about cancer care in Poland
Older people’s beliefs about cancer care in Poland

Summary/Abstract: The occurrence and morbidity of cancer increase with age. The aim of the study was to ascertain the beliefs of older people about the access to and quality of cancer care in Poland and to determine the impact of gender, age, education and SES variables on their beliefs. In 2012, a sample of 910 adult residents of Wrocław was studied by means of an interview questionnaire and quota sampling was applied. This paper presents only the data obtained from two of the six age categories researched (N = 329; specifically the age categories: “55–64 years” and “65 and over”. It was established that more than half of the respondents evaluated the treatment conditions in hospitals negatively; most being critical of the access to the medical services for oncology. The results show a divergence between the assessment of the medical personnel’s instrumental function and the care received. Although 75% of seniors positively assess the competence of oncologists, 45.29% evaluate their interpersonal skills negatively. It was found that criticism of oncological care increases with the age of the respondents and their lower financial state.

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