Making the Case: Clinical Assessment of Financial Toxicity

Background: Clinical nurse assessment determines clinical status, status changes, and trends that affect the patient’s plan of care. With the financial burden of care being a prominent source of patient stress, financial toxicity is a vital component of clinical nurse assessment.

Objectives: For selected clinical nurse roles, this article provides a foundation for clinical financial toxicity assessment, which is initiated during the patient’s treatment and continues into survivorship.

Methods: With a focus on financial toxicity affecting patients with cancer, this article is an overview of financial toxicity as a part of clinical assessment. It includes an explanation of clinical nurse roles and definitions, assessment as a clinical nurse standard of care, assessment frameworks and components, how clinicians can approach assessment with patients and family members, and implications for clinical practice.

Findings: Based on a clinical assessment of financial toxicity risk and status, a clinical nurse who is educated about patient healthcare financial issues can start or continue conversations about financial toxicity, provide and mobilize resources to help address financial burden, and/or refer patients and family members to expert guidance from designated healthcare financial experts when they are available in the healthcare system.