Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39011354›Full record

ArticleJournal of pharmaceutical policy and practice2024

Access to childhood cancer medicines in South Africa: a health systems analysis of barriers and enablers.

Iris R Joosse, Hendrika A van den Ham, Aukje K Mantel-Teeuwisse, Velisha A Perumal-Pillay, Fatima Suleman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. The caregiver's experience of childhood cancer treatment in South Africa.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2024
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Iris R JoosseUtrecht WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Regulation, Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7677-8589
Hendrika A van den HamUtrecht WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Regulation, Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1339-9818
Aukje K Mantel-TeeuwisseUtrecht WHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Regulation, Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8782-0698
Velisha A Perumal-PillayWHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Evidence Based Practice, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4767-4139
Fatima SulemanWHO Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Evidence Based Practice, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8559-9168

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: We sought to identify what barriers and facilitators determine current perceived access to childhood cancer care in South Africa through in-depth interviews with stakeholders in South Africa's public and private sectors. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 key health system stakeholders, including policy-makers and regulators, medical insurance scheme informants, medicine suppliers, healthcare providers and civil society stakeholders. Identified barriers and facilitators in access to medicines and broader care were structured according to the pharmaceutical value chain (PVC). Results: Barriers and facilitators were identified across all components of the PVC. Key barriers included (1) a lack of political commitment to childhood cancers, (2) discontinuation of essential chemotherapeutics, (3) incomplete insurance coverage for childhood cancers, (4) stock-outs of essential medicines, (5) the inability to access care, including travel to healthcare facilities and (6) low awareness on childhood cancers among primary healthcare (PHC) workers. Proposed priority interventions included pricing flexibilities, increased transparency and consistency in decision-making and healthcare spending, and improved training of PHC staff, nurses and pharmacists on childhood cancers. Conclusion: This first comprehensive study of determinants of access to medicines used in childhood cancer in South Africa provides context-specific evidence for targeted policy development.

Indexed as

access to medicineschildhood cancerhealth systems analysisqualitative researchSouth Africa

Identifiers

PMID39011354
PMCPMC11249159

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.