NWT patients give cancer care high praise

While there has been much criticism of the NWT’s healthcare system, patients say they are largely satisfied with the territory’s cancer care services.

The NWT’s health authority recently released an infographic of results from its 2023 cancer care patient satisfaction survey.

The authority sent the survey to 308 patients across the territory between January and April 2023. Eighty-five people responded about their experiences with the cancer navigation program, medical oncology clinics, chemotherapy unit and medical travel.

According to the health authority, all respondents rated the quality of care at Stanton Territorial Hospital’s chemotherapy unit and the health authority’s oncology clinics as good, very good or excellent.

Ninety percent of patients said their comfort needs were met when accessing those services while 92 percent of respondents who attended a virtual appointment said it met their needs.

The Cancer Navigation Program also received high satisfaction rates, with 97 percent of respondents saying they felt heard, understood and respected by a cancer nurse navigator or oncology service worker.

Ninety-five percent of respondents who accessed a cancer nurse navigator and 93 percent who accessed an oncology social worker said they felt the support they received was helpful to them.

“I had no complaints, my nurse was well educated. She listened well and sent me useful reading materials in a binder,” one respondent was quoted as saying. “She shared her experience with chemo and radiation. She helped take the fear away. God bless her.”

Medical travel anxiety

Medical travel received slightly lower satisfaction rates.

Seventy-one percent of survey respondents said they required medical travel, 68 percent said they were approved for an escort on their first request, and 75 percent said they felt supported by the medical travel program or personal medical benefits.

While one respondent said the “medical travel folks are very helpful,” another said having an escort would have helped.

A third said: “Getting flights booked was usually very late and much anxiety for med[ical] travel to respond.”

Lastly, respondents expressed high praise for healthcare providers.

Ninety-three percent of respondents said they felt comfortable talking with cancer care providers about complementary, alternative or traditional and non-traditional therapies.

Of the 72 percent of patients who said they experienced pain from their cancer, all said they felt their healthcare provider did everything they could to manage their discomfort.

‘Best medical care I have received in the NWT’

“All staff at Stanton were great. The staff was all kind and supportive and made me feel comfortable through the process,” one respondent was quoted as saying.

“Best medical care I have received in the NWT. 10/10,” another said.

The health authority said the information collected from the survey will be used to identify areas for continuous improvement.

The next cancer care patient satisfaction survey is planned to begin early next year.

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