Investigating the Role of Transportation Barriers in Cancer Patients’ Decision Making Regarding the Treatment Process

Abstract

Transportation barriers to healthcare access may lead to rescheduled or missed appointments, thereby influencing patients’ treatment outcomes. However, the impact of transportation barriers on stopping cancer treatments remains unknown in the literature. This study aims to investigate the association between cancer patients’ travel behavior and their decisions about stopping or continuing treatments. In this study, an online survey was designed and conducted for cancer patients who received radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Comprehensive questions were asked to reveal personal- and treatment-related factors that affect participants’ decisions, including their travel behavior, travel burden, treatment characteristics, and side effects. With data collected from the survey, machine learning models were further employed to quantitatively assess the factors contributing to patients’ decision making. Results suggest that lack of access to transportation has a significant impact on cancer patients’ decisions with respect to stopping or continuing treatments. Limited access to private vehicles will likely lead to the stopping of radiotherapy. In addition, trip frequency and trip length to caregivers influence the patients’ continuing or quitting chemotherapy. Insights generated in this study have great potential to help policy makers and planners make informed decisions to enhance cancer patients’ access to treatments and improve their health outcomes.