Laos Out-Of-Pocket Costs: an observational study on the impact of severe childhood illness on the health, wealth and wellbeing of household members in Lao PDR

Children can get sick and need to present to hospital for many reasons. Some illnesses/injuries can make children severely sick and they will need to stay in hospital or be transferred to another hospital for treatment. The costs for paying for in-hospital treatment in Lao PDR can be expensive and often families have to pay for the treatment themselves. For some families this may mean having to borrow money or selling their belongings or property to pay for treatment. Some families will choose not to stay in hospital and go home with their sick child. The impact of a severe childhood illness is therefore not just about the illness, but also the financial costs and emotional stress to families that may occur because of it.
In this project, we want to find out how much families are paying when seeking health care for their very sick children. This includes costs before they come to hospital, whilst in hospital and any costs after they leave hospital. We also want to find out how families pay for costs associated with health care and how a severe childhood illness affects the physical and mental health of household members.
This project is taking place at two different hospitals in Lao PDR and will include approximately 375 children, aged between 1 month and 15 years, assessed by a health officer and deemed to have an illness that needs treatment in hospital.
There will be a total of four separate visits - two whilst your child is in hospital, one interview by phone call and one at a hospital outpatient visit. All visits will be completed within two months from when your child leaves hospital.