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Experiences of Financial Stress and Supports in Caregivers During Pediatric Hospital Admission
Ajantha Nadarajah1, Tanya Lazor2,3, Allison Meserve4
1Faculty of Medicine.
Insights
Caregivers of hospitalized children face significant financial stress and challenges accessing support. Pediatric hospitals should offer financial services to address these acute and chronic needs, improving family well-being.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Health Services Research
- Social Determinants of Health
Background:
- Poverty affects approximately 20% of children in Canada and the US, leading to adverse health outcomes.
- Families of children with chronic illnesses often face heightened financial strain due to hospitalizations.
- This study addresses the need to understand caregiver financial needs in pediatric hospital settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the financial needs and support experiences of caregivers with children admitted to a tertiary care pediatric hospital.
- To inform the development of effective hospital-based financial services.
- To reduce financial stress experienced by families with hospitalized children.
Main Methods:
- Purposive sampling was used to recruit 15 caregivers of diverse backgrounds admitted to an academic pediatric center.
- Individual, semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted to gather data on socio-demographics, financial needs, and support experiences.
- A modified-grounded theory approach and summative content analysis were employed for data analysis using NVivo software.
Main Results:
- Caregivers reported significant financial stress, encompassing both acute admission-related and chronic financial difficulties.
- Challenges were identified in accessing and utilizing financial supports, stemming from caregiver, hospital system, and government system factors.
- Participants expressed a desire for financial services within the pediatric hospital, including education on financial supports and benefits.
Conclusions:
- The study underscores the prevalence of acute and chronic financial needs among caregivers of hospitalized children.
- Difficulties in accessing existing financial support systems were a key finding.
- Participants emphasized the importance of healthcare systems understanding their financial circumstances and providing accessible financial services within the hospital setting.
Background And Objective:
In Canada and the United States, ∼1 in 5 children live in poverty, contributing to poor health outcomes. Families with children with chronic illness may experience additional financial stress related to hospitalization. This study aimed to capture experiences of financial needs and supports among caregivers with a child admitted to a tertiary care pediatric hospital to inform hospital-based financial services to reduce financial stress in families.
Methods:
We recruited caregivers of children admitted to the general inpatient ward of an academic pediatric center using purposive sampling with no exclusion criteria. Individual, semistructured, in-depth interviews with participants were conducted. Data collected included socio-demographics, financial needs, and experiences with financial supports. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed on NVivo software using a modified-grounded theory approach and summative content analysis.
Results:
Fifteen caregivers of diverse backgrounds were interviewed, including non-English speakers (n = 4). Three themes and associated subthemes (in parentheses) were identified: (1) financial stress expressed by participants (acute admission-related and chronic financial stress), (2) challenges associated with accessing and utilizing financial supports (caregiver factors, systemic hospital factors, and systemic government factors), and (3) ideas for financial services at the pediatric hospital (services that will provide acute- and chronic financial assistance including education about financial supports and benefits).
Conclusions:
Our study highlighted acute and chronic financial needs as well as challenges in accessing financial support. Participants were interested in the healthcare system gaining a comprehensive understanding of their financial circumstances and accessing financial services in a hospital setting.
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