'The bills that were coming in…': out of pocket costs during relocation for specialist treatment for haematological malignancies

Abstract

Purpose: This paper responds to the call for more research to fully understand out of pocket (OOP) costs for cancer patients by providing a detailed discussion of such costs for adult haematology patients from Queensland, Australia.

Methods: The descriptive qualitative research was based on in-depth interviews with 45 (n = 45) haematology patients from regional, rural and remote areas.

Results: The discussion itemises the OOP costs under four categories including the costs associated with travel and accommodation, the costs associated with family and friends during relocation, the costs associated with diagnosis and treatment, and the costs of parking.

Conclusions: The paper provides evidence of the categories of financial burden experienced by haematology patients who have to relocate for specialist treatment by detailing the extensive range of OOP costs. The expectation is that the itemisation of OOP cost variables will contribute to future efforts of quantification.