“I had to figure this out for myself.” Patients and healthcare professionals’ perspectives on rehabilitation uptake after treatment for head, neck and lung cancer: a qualitative interview study

<i>Background.</i> Rehabilitation is known to have many positive effects for cancer patients. However, patients with head, neck and lung cancer generally have a low uptake of rehabilitation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore patient and healthcare professionals' perspectives on rehabilitation uptake after treatment for head, neck and lung cancer in a municipal setting. <i>Methods.</i> Semi-structured formal interviews were conducted with patients and healthcare professionals across hospital and rehabilitation settings in northern Denmark. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using reflexive thematic content analysis. <i>Results.</i> There are multiple factors underlying the low uptake of rehabilitation for head, neck and lung cancer patients, ranging from systemic barriers, to matters of health (i)literacy and a perceived lack of interest, which upon further reflection often masks a deeper existential and/or physical vulnerability. <i>Discussion.</i> Our findings indicate that while many of the barriers to rehabilitation uptake arise in the transitions between care sectors, there is also a need to rethink how rehabilitation fits into the cancer care trajectory at hospital level. Current praxis leaves many opportunities for inequalities in rehabilitation access and uptake to arise.