2020 年喀土穆肿瘤医院癌症患者主要家庭照顾者的经济困难：一项横断面研究。
Economic hardship among principal family caregivers of cancer patients at Khartoum oncology hospital 2020: a cross-sectional study.
机构信息
Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
Assistant professor community medicine department National University, Khartoum, Sudan.
出版信息
BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Dec 8;22(1):1497. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08918-y.
BACKGROUND
The impact of cancer extends beyond patients and consumes their families. Family members are widely recognized as informal caregivers. The economic burden on family caregivers is increased with new treatments, prolonged survival, and reduced stay in the acute care setting. This is especially true in African countries where family bonds are sacred and health system is fragile that they need to pay out of pocket for care. The aim of this study is to estimate the perceived caregivers' economic burden in the subsequent aspects: financial strain, inability to make ends meet, not enough money for necessities, and economic adjustments/cutbacks.
METHOD
This study was a quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at Khartoum oncology hospital. Included 143 caregivers of cancer patients. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the socio-demographic Questionnaire and Economic Hardship Questionnaire (EHQ).
RESULTS
One hundred forty-three cancer patients and their caregivers were included. 56.6% of patients were females, and about 32.2% were aged 51-65 years. The most common cancer types were breast cancer and leukemia. Roughly 33% of patients had stage IV cancer on presentation, and about 53.9% received chemotherapy. Unlike cancer patients, (47.6%) of family caregivers were aged 18-34 years, yet they were mainly females (54.4%). Most of them (34.3%) were unemployed, with a mean monthly gross income of 53.3 dollars, while the mean household monthly gross income was 113.0 dollars. The mean score of the economic hardship scale was 35.8 out of 64. Most of the caregivers experience no difficulties affording necessities. However, they experience difficulties with medical and leisure activities. There was no significant association between caregiver economic hardship and cancer patient characteristics (patients' age, cancer stage, and treatment type). However, there was a significant association between caregivers' economic hardships and their gender, marital status, educational level, occupation, caregiver monthly gross income, and household monthly gross income.
CONCLUSION
The study findings suggest a moderate financial burden among cancer caregivers. The predicting factors include being single, a student, male, of higher educational level, and lower income. Financial difficulties are associated with maladaptive behavior and should come to light.
背景
癌症的影响不仅局限于患者本身，还会波及他们的家庭。家庭成员被广泛认为是非正式的照顾者。随着新的治疗方法的出现、生存时间的延长以及急性护理环境中停留时间的减少，家庭照顾者的经济负担也在增加。在非洲国家，这种情况尤其如此，在这些国家，家庭关系是神圣的，而医疗体系脆弱，他们需要自费支付护理费用。本研究旨在从以下几个方面评估照顾者的经济负担：经济压力、入不敷出、没有足够的钱购买必需品以及经济调整/削减。
方法
这是一项在喀土穆肿瘤医院进行的定量、描述性的横断面研究。纳入了 143 名癌症患者的照顾者。通过面对面访谈，使用社会人口学问卷和经济困难问卷（EHQ）收集数据。
结果
共纳入 143 名癌症患者及其照顾者。56.6%的患者为女性，约 32.2%的患者年龄在 51-65 岁之间。最常见的癌症类型是乳腺癌和白血病。大约 33%的患者在就诊时为 IV 期癌症，约 53.9%的患者接受了化疗。与癌症患者不同，（47.6%）的家庭照顾者年龄在 18-34 岁之间，但他们主要是女性（54.4%）。他们中的大多数人（34.3%）没有工作，月总收入平均为 53.3 美元，而家庭月总收入平均为 113.0 美元。经济困难量表的平均得分为 35.8 分（满分 64 分）。大多数照顾者在负担生活必需品方面没有困难。然而，他们在医疗和休闲活动方面存在困难。照顾者的经济困难与癌症患者的特征（患者年龄、癌症分期和治疗类型）之间没有显著关联。然而，照顾者的经济困难与他们的性别、婚姻状况、教育程度、职业、照顾者月总收入和家庭月总收入之间存在显著关联。
结论
研究结果表明，癌症照顾者面临着中等程度的经济负担。预测因素包括单身、学生、男性、受教育程度较高和收入较低。经济困难与适应不良行为有关，应该引起重视。
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