Paper
Sunday, November 4, 2007
328
The Costs of Cancer Care
Sarah Bradley, BS1, Heidi Donovan, PhD, RN1, Catherine M. Bender, RN, PhD2, Margaret Rosenzweig, PhD, CRNP2, Allison Hricik, MS, BS1, Alyssa G. Newberry1, Rebekah Hamilton, PhD, RN3, and Paula R. Sherwood, PhD, RN, CNRN1. (1) School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, (2) Department of Acute and Tertiary Care, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, (3) Health Promotion and Development, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| Learning Objective #1: describe themes of financial concerns and frustrations of patients undergoing treatment for a primary malignant brain tumor. |
| Learning Objective #2: identify the financial coping strategies used by patients undergoing treatment for a primary malignant brain tumor. |
Several studies have attempted to quantify the direct and indirect costs of cancer care. However, little research has been done to evaluate how paying for cancer treatment impacts the family unit. In addition, virtually no studies exist that evaluate costs of cancer care in persons with primary malignant brain tumors (PMBTs). The purpose of this mixed method study was to explore financial burden in neuro-oncology and identify strategies used to offset the costs of cancer, to substantiate a theoretical framework for evaluating cancer costs. Content analysis was used to identify themes from telephone interviews with 11 persons ³18 years of age who were receiving treatment for a PMBT. Four major themes were identified – Paying for medication and healthcare, Strategies to offset costs, Impact of cancer costs, and Fear and uncertainty. Once content analysis was completed with the entire sample, participants were classified as high, medium, or low income based on relationship to poverty thresholds determined by the U.S. Census Bureau. In general, high-income participants had fewer reports of uncertainty/fear, were more likely to discuss planning for the future, and more likely to describe a negative impact of cancer treatment on income/employment. No high-income participants reported relying on friends or family for financial support, a theme that was common in all interviews with moderate- and low-income participants. Finally, low- and moderate-income participants were more likely to report that the cost of cancer care had negatively impacted their children, leading some children to limit extracurricular activities or seek employment to provide spending money. Results elucidate the financial concerns and coping strategies of persons undergoing treatment for a PMBT and evaluate how themes differ by socioeconomic status. Clinicians can use this data to target clients’ needs during cancer treatment and help to implement interventions to alleviate the emotional burden of cancer costs.