Cancer specialists created a tool that can measure a cancer patient's risk and tolerance of financial stress, caused by the cost and anxiety associated with cancer treatments. When patients can no longer work as much, financial stability becomes shaky. The tool is meant to encourage conversations about financial problems between patients and their doctors.
Financial stress is rapidly becoming an issue for cancer patients as the cost of healthcare is rising. The problem often continues after treatments finish, diminishing quality of life and confidence. The questionnaire tool developed by cancer specialists, based on extensive interviews and literature reviews, will help doctors understand their patients' financial positions and help them obtain what they need.
University of Chicago cancer specialists designed the financial questionnaire tool and described it in detail in the July issue of Cancer.
"We need better ways to find out which patients are most at risk," says Jonas de Souza, MD and author of the study. "Then we can help them get financial assistance. If patients know what to expect, they may want their physicians to consider less costly medications."
The tool, called the Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST), measures various aspects of financial circumstances, such as income, education background, ability to work and overall optimism about out-of-pocket expenses. The responses allow doctors to understand what kinds of help patients need, and researchers to determine specific factors of financial toxicity, or the diminished quality of life of those facing large treatment costs.
Surprisingly, researchers found that the amount of financial toxicity a patient reports often does not correlate with the person's income. Instead, "people with less education seemed to have more financial distress, but variations in income did not make much difference," says de Souza.
The assessment was made from 155 patients' responses to the COST questionnaire. To validate the study, de Souza and his colleagues plan on implementing a larger-scale project with more patients.
The team first looked at literature reviews to form questions. It then asked patients for assessments of their own ideas of what matters in quality of life. Following that step, it pilot tested some questions and produced statistical analysis measured variations in responses and levels of importance. The final product not only looks at current issues in patients' financial situations, but also predicts who may encounter future problems and who will likely need support.
The tool is meant to help doctors and patients alike consider the financial burdens of treatments together, discuss their options, and pick the best routes.
