Should GPs ask patients about their financial concerns? Exploration through collaborative research

Objective: Health services should arguably be concerned about the financial situation of patients since health problems can cause financial concerns, which in turn can cause health problems. In this study, we explored the role of the general practitioner (GP) as a potential early discoverer of financial problems who can refer at-risk patients to financial counselling services. Design: A collaborative health service research experiment. For four weeks, GPs asked their patients predefined questions about financial concerns and health, by anonymous data mapping. GPs shared their experiences with the researchers after the experiment. Setting: One GP office in Norway. Subjects: A total of 565 patients were included in data mapping by 8 GPs. Main outcome measures: Patient prevalence data and GPs experimental data of patients’ health problems that caused financial concerns and financial concerns that affected patients’ health. Results: Of 565 GP patients, 11% (n = 63) indicated that they had health problems causing them financial concerns, or vice versa; 9% of patients reported health problems causing financial concerns and 8% of patients reported financial concerns that affected their health. Through the data mapping experiment GPs became aware of financial concerns of their patients and by this expanded and improved their therapeutic toolbox. Several months after the experiment the GPs reported that more patients received financial counselling since the GPs asked their patients about financial problems more often than before and because the patients had heard that GPs cared about such problems. Conclusion: KEY POINTS: Many people live on the edge of financial ruin and struggle to keep track of their finances, but limited research exists that investigates associations between finance and health. In a collaborative health services research experiment 11% of the patients at a Norwegian GP office had health problems that caused them financial concerns, or vice versa. GPs found it helpful to ask patients about their financial concerns when no clear medical explanations for their health problems was found. Then free financial counselling services could be offered.