Lim Megumi, Cashion Christine, Senanayake Sameera, Cramb Susanna, Kularatna Sanjeewa, Bradford Natalie
Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (Aushsi), School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Support Care Cancer. 2025 Mar 15;33(4):284. doi: 10.1007/s00520-025-09347-3.
A child's cancer diagnosis imposes both short-term and long-term stress on families. This study aimed to explore (1) the barriers and enablers in alleviating the financial impacts of a child's cancer diagnosis and treatment, and (2) areas for improvement in financial aid as suggested by stakeholders.
This qualitative study utilised semi-structured interviews with five hospital social work team members, three charity representatives and eight parents of children treated for cancer. The interviews, which were conducted between April 2023 and January 2024, were analysed using content analysis with a deductive-inductive approach supported by Nvivo Software.
Barriers to mitigating financial impacts included administrative difficulties (e.g. paperwork complexities, strict eligibility criteria and limited support), psychosocial factors (e.g. cognitive burden, social and societal factors), and navigational issues (e.g. poor communication, fragmented support systems). Enablers included streamlined administrative processes, assistance with navigating and applying for financial aid and community support for emotional refuge and respite. Suggested improvements included simplified application forms, offering automatic provision for certain financial aids upon diagnosis, providing infrastructure to support application processes, reallocating funds to increase navigator roles, providing tailored information through a centralised platform, and facilitating connections to parent support groups. Implications for cancer survivors The financial stress stemming from the uncertainty of a child's cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming. Current support systems fall short in effectively mitigating this stress. This research provides empirical evidence for policy changes to enhance support for families, which is crucial to alleviate the multifaceted challenges they face.
儿童癌症诊断给家庭带来了短期和长期的压力。本研究旨在探讨：（1）减轻儿童癌症诊断和治疗所带来的经济影响的障碍和促进因素；（2）利益相关者所建议的经济援助方面需要改进的领域。
本定性研究采用了半结构化访谈，对象包括五名医院社会工作团队成员、三名慈善代表以及八名接受癌症治疗儿童的家长。访谈于2023年4月至2024年1月期间进行，采用内容分析法，运用Nvivo软件支持的演绎-归纳法进行分析。
减轻经济影响的障碍包括行政困难（如文书工作复杂、资格标准严格和支持有限）、心理社会因素（如认知负担、社会和社会因素）以及导航问题（如沟通不畅、支持系统分散）。促进因素包括简化行政流程、协助导航和申请经济援助以及社区提供情感庇护和喘息支持。建议的改进措施包括简化申请表、在诊断时自动提供某些经济援助、提供支持申请流程的基础设施、重新分配资金以增加导航员角色、通过集中平台提供量身定制的信息以及促进与家长支持小组的联系。对癌症幸存者的影响 儿童癌症诊断的不确定性所带来的经济压力可能是压倒性的。当前的支持系统在有效减轻这种压力方面存在不足。本研究为政策变革提供了实证依据，以加强对家庭的支持，这对于缓解他们面临的多方面挑战至关重要。
