Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35317774›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2022

Disparities in healthcare expenditures according to economic status in cancer patients undergoing end-of-life care.

Kyu-Tae Han, Woorim Kim, Seungju Kim

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Kyu-Tae Han *Division of Cancer Control & Policy, National Cancer Control Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea.
Woorim Kim *Division of Cancer Control & Policy, National Cancer Control Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea.
Seungju KimDepartment of Nursing, College of Nursing, The Catholic University of Korea, 222, Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Seongnam, Republic of Korea. seungju.phd@gmail.com.
National Cancer Center · KRCatholic University of Korea · KR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundsA desire for better outcome influences cancer patients' willingness to pay. Whilst cancer-related costs are known to have a u-shaped distribution, the actual level of healthcare utilized by patients may vary depending on income and ability to pay. This study examined patterns of healthcare expenditures in the last year of life in patients with gastric, colorectal, lung, and liver cancer and analyzed whether differences exist in the level of end-of-life costs for cancer care according to economic status.

methodsThis study is a retrospective cohort study which used data from the Korean National Elderly Sampled Cohort, 2002 to 2015. End-of-life was defined as 1 year before death. Economic status was classified into three categorical variables according to the level of insurance premium (quantiles). The relationship between the dependent and independent variables were analyzed using multiple gamma regression based on the generalized estimated equation (GEE) model.

resultsThis study included 3083 cancer patients, in which total healthcare expenditure was highest in the high-income group. End-of-life costs increased the most in the last 3 months of life. Compared to individuals in the 'middle' economic status group, those in the 'high' economic status group (RR 1.095, 95% CI 1.044-1.149) were likely to spend higher amounts. The percentage of individuals visiting a general hospital was highest in the 'high' economic status group, followed by the 'middle' and 'low' economic status groups.

conclusionHealthcare costs for cancer care increased at end-of-life in Korea. Patients of higher economic status tended to spender higher amounts of end-of-life costs for cancer care. Further in-depth studies are needed considering that end-of-life medical costs constitute a large proportion of overall expenditures. This study offers insight by showing that expenditures for cancer care tend to increase noticeably in the last 3 months of life and that differences exist in the amount spent according economic status.

Indexed as

Economic StatusHealth ExpendituresAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHealth Care CostsHumansIncomeMaleNeoplasmsRepublic of KoreaRetrospective StudiesTerminal CareCancer patientsEconomic statusEnd-of-lifeHealthcare disparitiesHealthcare expenditure

Identifiers

PMID35317774
PMCPMC8939210
OpenAlexW4221033468

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.