Ghoshal Sushmita, Arora Minni, Chakrabarti Adrija, Datta Avradeep, Dey Treshita
Department of Radiotherapy, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Department of Palliative Care Services, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2022 Mar;11(3):821-824. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1247_21. Epub 2022 Mar 10.
A cross-sectional study was planned to assess the socio-economic burden of cancer among patients referred for palliative care. Patients referred within 6 months of diagnosis were grouped as early while others were late referrals. The socio-economic status, out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE), and budget adjustments were noted and compared between the two groups using SPSS v 23.0. A total of 96 patients were included among which 57 were referred late. Most patients belonged to middle- and lower-income groups but only 22/96 had some kind of social security. The demographic profiles of the two groups were comparable. Although the patients referred late had more OOPE compared to the early ones, the difference was not statistically significant. Patients receiving chemotherapy had a significantly higher OOPE ( = 0.001). Job interruptions and loss of family income leading to budget adjustments were reported by 50 patients. The study indicates that there is a significant economic impact and OOPE that needs to be addressed in our patient population.
一项横断面研究旨在评估转诊接受姑息治疗的患者中癌症的社会经济负担。诊断后6个月内转诊的患者被归为早期转诊，其他患者为晚期转诊。记录两组患者的社会经济状况、自付费用（OOPE）和预算调整情况，并使用SPSS v 23.0进行比较。总共纳入了96名患者，其中57名是晚期转诊。大多数患者属于中低收入群体，但96名患者中只有22名拥有某种社会保障。两组的人口统计学特征具有可比性。虽然晚期转诊的患者自付费用比早期转诊的患者更多，但差异无统计学意义。接受化疗的患者自付费用显著更高（=0.001）。50名患者报告了工作中断和家庭收入损失导致预算调整的情况。该研究表明，在我们的患者群体中存在重大的经济影响和自付费用，需要加以解决。
