support the argument
The chosen blog post found on The Incidental Economist Blog discussed the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and how this policy is lacking in the realm of oncology care. The article titled “My Friend’s Cancer Taught Me About a Hole in Our Health System” by Aaron Carroll, discussed the cost of care associated with oncology care not covered by insurance. According to Carroll (2019), FMLA is only addressing a small portion of the problem because often oncology patients need round-the-clock care. The gap is seen when oncology patients are cared for by friends who would not fall under the FMLA umbrella or family members who cannot afford to take time off and will not be compensated for time off. Van Houtven et al. (2010) mentions the cost to caregivers reaches up to $7,000 during treatment and can reach up to $20,000 after treatment. Carroll (2019) stresses the need for policy makers to consider the importance of caregivers to the overall care of oncology patients.
Response
“The role of caregiver within the oncology setting is vitally important to the patient. According to Longacre et al. (2018) caregivers are highly involved in cancer care and decision making. In a study that addressed caregiver burden of oncology patients, 50% of caregivers reported strain and of the 50%, 60% reported strain related to finances (Irwin et al., 2018). As of now there are few resources that support the caregiver’s financial burden. Insurance does not consider family and friends care of a patient vitally important to the overall wellbeing of the patient. More information about the benefits of caregivers and overall health care associated costs would help strengthen the argument for supporting the caregiver monetarily throughout a patient’s oncology care.”
Social Media
As Carroll (2019) points out in his blog post, the use of social media is helpful in gaining information quickly. He wanted to see if individuals like himself were experiencing the same issues he was. Carroll (2019) wrote, “On social media, I sought out people who had survived cancer in the last few years and asked them if they’d had similar experiences. Most said yes.” Social media can be a great way to ask a question and receive quick informal responses. The ethical issues associated with social media use are related to privacy. It is important a nurse using social media to improve patient outcomes be conscientious of protecting the patient’s privacy.
Best Regards,
Erin Thomson
References
Carroll, A. (2019, March 27). My Friend’s Cancer Taught Me About a Hole in Our Health System. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://theincidentaleconomist.com/
Irwin, M. M., Dudley, W., Northouse, L., Berry, D. L., & Mallory, G. A. (2018). Oncology Nurses’ Knowledge, Confidence, and Practice in Addressing Caregiver Strain and Burden. Oncology Nursing Forum, 45(2), 187–196. https://doi-org.prx-keiser.lirn.net/10.1188/18.ONF.187-196
Longacre, M. L., Miller, M. F., Golant, M., Zaleta, A. K., & Buzaglo, J. S. (2018). Care and Treatment Decisions in Cancer: The Role of the Family Caregiver. Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship, 9(9), 354–362. Retrieved from http://prx-keiser.lirn.net/login?url=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ebscohost.com%2flogin.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26db%3dccm%26AN%3d131616615%26site%3dehost-live
Van Houtven CH, Ramsey SD, Hornbrook MC, Atienza AA, & van Ryn M. (2010). Economic Burden for Informal Caregivers of Lung and Colorectal Cancer Patients. Oncologist, 15(8), 883–893. https://doi-org.prx-keiser.lirn.net/10.1634/theoncologist.2010-0005
