'More than just money'– widening the understanding of the costs involved in cancer care

摘要: Aim. This paper examines the literature relating to wider concept of cost in cancer care and implications this has for development services particularly within changing context care. Background. Cancer remains a major cause morbidity mortality United Kingdom (UK), treatment is often complex expensive; both financial human terms. Service patterns are shifting away from traditional inpatient, hospital settings towards short stay/day-care home models. response developments health policy, but it also because availability better tolerated treatments demand more patient-focused Review literature. The databases Cinhahl Medline were accessed using keywords costs, treatment, outpatients, cancer. Additional sources through hand searching key journals. explores three themes. First, cost-effectiveness treatment; second, invisible indirect or ‘out pocket’ costs incurred by patients their families during finally, ‘human costs’ diagnosis therapy. Conclusions. In view recent calls improve effectiveness UK, we suggest that research needed address all dimensions cost. It only exploring total broad perspective appropriate, effective holistic can be planned future.