Exploring the Impact of Financial Toxicity in COPD: A Qualitative Study

Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often face direct and indirect medical costs from unplanned emergency department visits and hospitalizations for acute exacerbations, out-of-pocket expenses for inhaled bronchodilators, and income loss from disability. Yet financial toxicity, which describes the objective burden and subjective distress resulting from medical costs, has not been studied in COPD. Individual experiences of financial toxicity in COPD offer insight into challenges that may be unique to this population.

We conducted semistructured interviews with 30 purposively sampled individuals with physician-diagnosed COPD. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive coding by 2 independent coders, and codes and were categorized through thematic analysis.

Thirty participants completed semistructured interviews, of whom 56% were women, 43% non-Hispanic White, and 43% non-Hispanic Black. The mean age was 69.5 years, and 24 (70%) had public health insurance only. Several themes emerged including: (1) the sources of material burden in COPD; (2) adjustments to disease management, such as medication nonadherence or foregoing treatments; (3) adjustments to financial planning, including both changes to day-to-day spending and disruptions in major financial plans; (4) emotional impact; and (5) communication with health care providers.

Our findings are the first, to our knowledge, to describe the impact of financial toxicity in individuals with COPD. Financial toxicity in COPD is common and may adversely impact disease self-management, financial self-management, and psychological well-being. Additional research is needed to examine its impact on patient-reported outcomes and to develop interventions to reduce its burden.