Money was the Problem”: Financial Difficulty is the Main Reason for Treatment Abandonment by Children with Cancer in South West Uganda
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Authorea Preprints
Abstract
Treatment abandonment contributes significantly to poor survival of
children with cancer in low-middle-income countries (LMICs). In order to inform an
approach to this problem at our Cancer Unit, we investigated why caregivers withdraw
their children from treatment.
Methods – In a qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted with caregivers of
children who had abandoned cancer treatment at the Paediatric Cancer Unit (PCU) of
Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) in South Western Uganda, between May
2017 and September 2020. Recorded in-depth interviews with caregivers were transcribed and analyzed to identify themes of caregiver self-reported reasons for
treatment abandonment.
Results - Seventy-seven out of 343 (22.4%) children treated for cancer at MRRH
abandoned treatment during the study period; 20 contactable and consenting caregivers
participated in the study. The median age of children’s caregivers was 37 years and
most (65%) were mothers. At the time of this study, eight (40%) children were alive and
5 (62.5%) were males; with a median age of 6.5 years. Financial difficulties, other
obligations, the child falsely appearing cured, preference for alternative treatments,
belief that cancer was incurable, fear that the child’s death was imminent and
chemotherapy side-effects were the caregivers’ reasons for treatment abandonment.
Conclusions and Recommendation – Treatment abandonment among children with
cancer in Uganda is, most times, as a result of difficult conditions beyond the
caregivers’ control and needs to be approached with empathy and support.
Description
Keywords
Treatment abandonment, Children, Cancer, Financial difficulty, Low-middleincome countries, Uganda
Citation
Atwiine, B., Busingye, I., Kyarisiima, R., Baluku, E., Mbabazi, R., Bamwine, B., ... & Kiwanuka, G. (2021). “Money was the Problem”: Financial Difficulty is the Main Reason for Treatment Abandonment by Children with Cancer in South West Uganda. Authorea Preprints.