ArticleCureus2024
Impact of COVID-19 on Gynecologic Oncology Wait Times: A Mystery Caller Study.
Article in Cureus, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveDespite increasing wait times for oncologic care in the US, research has yet to examine the impact of COVID-19 on wait times to first appointments for gynecologic oncology patients. We sought to audit mean wait times, during and after the height of the pandemic, for an outpatient appointment with a gynecologic oncologist in the US.
methodsOffice phone numbers were identified from the searchable Society for Gynecologic Oncology specialist patient-facing database. Using a "mystery caller" study approach, each unique phone number was called in 2020 and 2023. The caller asked for the soonest appointment available for her mother, who was recently found to have a 10 cm pelvic mass. The date of the soonest appointment and physician and office demographics were collected.
resultsA total of 222 gynecologic oncology practices were called across 45 states and the District of Columbia. There was no difference in wait time post-COVID-19, highlighting an undescribed resilience in the face of unprecedented healthcare system stress. However, we also identified three major barriers to appointment scheduling including incorrect contact information in patient-facing databases, unanswered phones, and mandatory physician referrals prior to appointment scheduling.
conclusionsUnderstanding factors influencing appointment wait times is essential to mitigating harm in oncologic care. Ours is the first nationwide audit of COVID-19's impact on barriers to gynecologic oncology care. While we highlight a surprising lack of increase in wait times between 2020 and 2023, we also identify actionable barriers to care such as updating public patient-facing information online.
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