Clinical management of financial toxicity - identifying opportunities through experiential insights of cancer survivors, caregivers, and social workers

Authors

Christopher J. Longo
Louisa G. Gordon
Rebecca L. Nund
Nicolas H. Hart, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Laisa Teleni
Carla Thamm
Olivia Hollingdrake
Fiona Crawford-Williams
Bogda Koczwara
Tamara Ownsworth
Stephen Born
Sue Schoonbeek
Leanne Stone
Christie Barrett
Raymond J. Chan

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Current Oncology

Volume

29

Issue

10

First Page

7705

Last Page

7717

PubMed ID

36290886

Publisher

MDPI

School

School of Medical and Health Sciences

RAS ID

54097

Funders

National Health and Medical Research Council

Grant Number

NHMRC Number : APP1194051

Comments

Longo, C. J., Gordon, L. G., Nund, R. L., Hart, N. H., Teleni, L., Thamm, C., ... & Chan, R. J. (2022). Clinical management of financial toxicity - identifying opportunities through experiential insights of cancer survivors, caregivers, and social workers. Current Oncology, 29(10), 7705-7717. https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol29100609

Abstract

Perspectives of cancer survivors, caregivers, and social workers as key stakeholders on the clinical management of financial toxicity (FT) are critical to identify opportunities for better FT management. Semi-structured interviews (cancer survivors, caregivers) and a focus group (social workers) were undertaken using purposive sampling at a quaternary public hospital in Australia. People with any cancer diagnosis attending the hospital were eligible. Data were analysed using inductive-deductive content analysis techniques. Twenty-two stakeholders (n = 10 cancer survivors of mixed-cancer types, n = 5 caregivers, and n = 7 social workers) participated. Key findings included: (i) genuine concern for FT of cancer survivors and caregivers shown through practical support by health care and social workers; (ii) need for clarity of role and services; (iii) importance of timely information flow; and (iv) proactive navigation as a priority. While cancer survivors and caregivers received financial assistance and support from the hospital, the lack of synchronised, shared understanding of roles and services in relation to finance between cancer survivors, caregivers, and health professionals undermined the effectiveness and consistency of these services. A proactive approach to anticipate cancer survivors’ and caregivers’ needs is recommended. Future research may develop and evaluate initiatives to manage cancer survivors and families FT experiences and outcomes.

DOI

10.3390/curroncol29100609

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.