Exploring caregiver burden and financial toxicity in caregivers of tracheostomy-dependent children.

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol

Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Published: June 2021

Objective: Measure the prevalence of and factors associated with financial toxicity (FT) and caregiver burden in families of tracheostomy-dependent children. FT is defined as the objective and subjective patient-level impact of the costs of medical care and has been associated with lower quality of life, decreased compliance with treatment, and increased mortality.

Methods: A medical record review was performed on all children with a tracheostomy tube placed from 2009 to 2018 at a tertiary children's hospital to identify and include children younger than 18 years old, not deceased, and not decannulated at the time of review. Eligible children's caregivers were contacted to fill out a 36-item questionnaire and three validated instruments: The Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) and the Financial Distress Questionnaire (FDQ), both addressed to the parent/primary caregiver, and the Burden Scale for Family Caregivers - short version (BSFC-s).

Results: Of the 140 eligible tracheostomy patients identified, 45 caregivers (32.1%) returned the survey. The average COST score was 18 ± 1.7 with 73.3% of caregivers reporting high toxicity based on FDQ, and 75.6% having severe-to-very severe caregiver burden. Significant increase in FT was seen in households where an adult had to leave a paid position (p = 0.047) or work less (p = 0.002) because of their child's condition; or needed to omit some of the child's medical services or medications due to cost-prohibitive reasons (p<0.001). Financial toxicity was associated with caregiver burden (by BSFC-s) [r = -596; beta coefficient = -0.95, t(43) = -4.87, p<0.001] and financial distress (by FDQ; p<0.001).

Conclusion: Caregivers of children with medically complex, tracheostomy-dependent conditions suffer from FT and caregiver burden. As a result, harmful financial coping mechanisms such as missing necessary care components or forgoing prescribed treatments, may be adopted for cost-prohibitive reasons.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijporl.2021.110713DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

caregiver burden
16
financial toxicity
12
tracheostomy-dependent children
8
caregivers
5
exploring caregiver
4
burden
4
financial
4
burden financial
4
toxicity
4
toxicity caregivers
4

Similar Publications

Caregivers of children with asthma can become overwhelmed by the burden of care provision. Guided by the socioecological framework, we examined individual and system-level factors associated with caregiver health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among preschool children (aged two to six years) enrolled in a multilevel home- and school-based asthma educational intervention in Baltimore, Maryland. Primary outcome was caregiver HRQoL measured at baseline and six months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: The study seeks to elucidate the pathways by which the Caregiver TLC psycho-educational program impacts the psychological health of caregivers by examining the degree to which changes in self-efficacy, personal gains, and emotional support mediate the changes on perceived depression, anxiety and burden.

Research Design And Methods: Using pre-post data from the Caregiver TLC randomized controlled trial (n = 81) for each outcome and mediator pair, a series of multiple regression models were executed to test the degree to which the program's total effects on changes in depression, burden and anxiety from baseline to post-intervention are due to changes in each mediator variable from pre- and post-intervention assessments. Caregivers were primarily female (85%), White (62 %), Black (38%), with a median age of 62 and household income of $75,000+.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Exploring the perspectives of early-stage postoperative glioblastoma patients and their caregivers on end-of-life care planning: An exploratory qualitative interview study.

Appl Nurs Res

February 2025

Institute of Community Health Care, College of Nursing, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, King's College London, UK. Electronic address:

Aim: Compare the convergent and divergent viewpoints of early-stage postoperative patients with glioblastoma and their caregivers on end-of-life care planning in Taiwan.

Background: Decision-making capacity in patients with glioblastoma may be compromised as disease progresses, making early future care planning essential to ensure that the provided care aligns with patients' goals. However, within many Asian cultures, the tendency to avoid discussions about death can lead patients to feel hesitant about addressing end-of-life care options.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Context: Persons with advanced multiple sclerosis (MS) require care beyond the disease modifying treatments offered in conventional MS clinics to address their complex physical and psychosocial needs. In the novel MS Comprehensive and Palliative Care (MSCPC) Program, an MS neurologist, palliative care specialist, and physiatrist collaborate to identify these needs and improve symptom control.

Objectives: To characterize the medical, physical, and psychosocial concerns of persons with advanced disability from MS and describe the recommended interventions of the MSCPC Program.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: Depression is a common geriatric problem globally. It is particularly burdensome in low- and middle-income countries, where care for older people mainly relies on the family in the absence of long-term care facilities. This study aimed to assess the level of caregivers' burden among family caregivers who are taking care of older persons with depression in the home care setting within the communities of Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!