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148 The associated subjective financial toxicity of low-value medical care in an online national representative survey of adults

ebmed · 2026-02-09 · canonical JSON source

1 visible annotations · policy: published · automated confidence ≥ 75.00%

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Objectives Financial toxicity is a term used to conceptualise the subjective financial distress patients receive from direct or indirect medical costs. It represents the distress that is so substantial for the patient, that it is considered another medical side effect. The financial toxicity of low-value medical procedures has not been examined in Australia or worldwide. This study aims to measure the financial toxicity of low-value care procedures in Australia, through an online national representative survey.Method We have commissioned a social research agency to recruit n=10,000 participants from their online research panel (currently awaiting ethics approval to commence). Participants will complete a 5-7 minute online survey to report demographic characteristics and if they have undergone one of fifteen low-value care procedures (defined by Badgery-Parker et al., 2018). If not, they will be asked if they have undergone any medical procedure within the past two years (with further questions to identify if it can be categorised as low/uncertain value e.g. colonoscopy screening in adults >80 years). Financial toxicity will be assessed for all participants who had undergone a medical procedure and grouped into low-value, uncertain value or not low-value care. This will be measured with estimated out-of-pocket costs, medication prices, time-off-work and the Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) scale. Participants who have not undergone a surgery will complete an anxiety about general healthcare costs scale.Results Based on previous 2012-2021 analyses of low-value care rates among hospital procedures in the NSW population (Badgery-Parker et al., 2018) we conservatively estimate 30-40 participants will have experienced a low-value procedure. Results from this survey will give insights into the subjective financial distress the direct and indirect costs of low-value care may have on patients in the Australian context. We will analyse sociodemographic predictors of financial toxicity and the association between low-value care and experience of financial toxicity.Conclusions This is a world first study to measure the financial toxicity of low value care and has implications for health systems and the harms of low value healthcare internationally.