Patient Interviews on Out-of-Pocket Health Costs for Liver Cirrhosis in Sri Lanka

A qualitative study by Isurujith Kongala Liyanage from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura examines the economic burden on patients with liver cirrhosis in a Sri Lankan government hospital. Data was collected through individual interviews and small group discussions with patients, caregivers, and physicians until thematic saturation was reached. The research investigates direct costs like private drugs and lab tests, indirect costs like lost income, and their impact on care equity and patient outcomes.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the types and sources of out-of-pocket health expenditures based on patient-reported direct and indirect costs.
• Studying socioeconomic disparities in healthcare access based on the reported higher impact on lower-income families.
• Investigating clinician-patient decision-making dynamics based on descriptions of cost-minimization strategies affecting care choices.
• Modeling the economic impact of chronic liver disease on households based on reported loss of work and income.

Strengths

• Data collection employed multiple perspectives from patients, caregivers, and physicians.
• Thematic analysis was conducted using a recognized framework method.
• Study focuses on a specific disease (liver cirrhosis) within a defined universal healthcare context.

Limitations

• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred from the description.
• Data is qualitative text from interviews, limiting quantitative analysis.

Provenance

Source

University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Collection Method

Qualitative data collected via individual interviews and small group discussions using quota sampling.

Geography

Sri Lanka, specifically a tertiary-care government hospital.