Cancer, Vulnerability, and Financial Quality of Life: A Mixed Methods Study

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The primary purpose of this study is to examine how vulnerabilities in psychological and social situations affect financial quality of life.

Detailed Description
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The primary purpose of this study is to examine how vulnerabilities in psychological and social situations affect financial quality of life. For people who are experiencing financial hardship, a cancer diagnosis can be devastating. For others, cancer may cause or even worsen financial stress, for example, with their work, their ability to maintain benefits such as health insurance, their ability to pay bills, and their ability to get the cancer treatment they need. The impact of cancer on financial quality of life is an important area of study within cancer care. Considering the financial burden of cancer also lends greater appreciation for the problems that people face if they cannot handle cancer's costs, or if needed resources are either not present or are too stretched to help with the care they need. For this study, up to 180 cancer patients will be interviewed with a written questionnaire. Of this group, 15 people will also be asked if they would like to participate in a follow-up personal interview with the researcher. The major hypothesis of this study is: The greater the vulnerabilities in predisposing factors and enabling factors, the greater the need factors with respect to cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the lower the perceived ability to adhere to treatment, the poorer will be the financial quality of life.

Official Title
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Cancer, Vulnerability, and Financial Quality of Life: A Mixed Methods Study

Conditions
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Cancer

Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Any cancer patient over the age of 18 who can speak and understand English and can provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: Pediatric patients; non-English-speaking patients

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Cancer patients over the age of 18<br>Cancer patients over the age of 18 who are receiving active treatment. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Identification of Potential Vulnerabilities | To examine how vulnerabilities in psychological and social situations affect financial quality of life. The dependent variable in this study is financial quality of life, defined as the ability to manage all current and future (including unexpected) financial obligations related to cancer care, within the context of sound health-care decision-making. Under the theoretical framework used, the first three independent variables selected under the predisposing domain are housing instability, personal control within the larger context of health locus of control, and demographics. Under the enabling domain, the next variables measured are income and financial stress, presence of health insurance and health insurance adequacy, perceived barriers to care, and social support. For the need domain, a patient's experience with cancer in terms of treatment and acuity are measured. Variables are measured using standardized instruments or in the absence of one, a scale composed by the researcher. | May 2010 to October 2012 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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any type of cancer