Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients

• DOI: 10.24911/ijmdc.51-1702667412
• Publication Date: 2024-01-14T18:26:42Z
• Authors: Nahed Qashqary; Mohammad Alnejaidi; Abdulaziz Alzahrani; Mohammed Albariqi; Suliman Alghamdi; Ziad Banoun; Essa Ghazwani; Abdulaziz Alghamdi; Alhassan Hobani
• Keywords: 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine

Objective: This study aimed to establish the psychological effects of COVID-19 on cancer patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The study involved all patients diagnosed with cancer between March 2020 and 2021. Data collection was done by reviewing medical records to identify the patients and then a survey questionnaire was structured targeting the selected patients. Results: Among the cancer patients, most of the participants (75%) had other medical conditions, 137 (71%) indicated that they applied 1-3 COVID-19 preventive measures, 112 (58%) indicated that COVID-19 pandemic impacted their treatment protocols or follow up appointments, 33 (63%) had delays in taking any chemotherapy appointments, while 17 (63%) had delay in surgery appointment. A statistically significant relationship between the variables and the increased level of anxiety, and isolation was also revealed by the study (p