{
  "abstract": "Background: Tuberculosis (TB) continues to impose substantial financial hardship on affected households in low- and middle-income countries. Until recently, no published evidence was available from high-income countries. This study presents the first national TB household cost survey conducted in the Republic of Korea, a high-income country, to assess the magnitude and drivers of catastrophic costs and explore underlying socioeconomic mechanisms.\n\nMethods: A mixed-methods study was conducted in 2024–2025. Adult patients with drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) were recruited from selected hospitals nationwide. Structured questionnaires quantified direct medical, non-medical, and indirect costs. Catastrophic costs were defined as total TB-related expenditure exceeding 20% of pre-TB annual household income. Quality assurance included interviewer training, standardised data collection protocols, and supervisory oversight during data collection. For the qualitative component, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with purposively selected participants and analysed using a framework approach.\n\nResults: A total of 157 patients were included (140 DS-TB and 17 DR-TB), alongside five qualitative interviewees. Mean total costs per TB episode were USD 4,515 (95% CI, 3,473–5,557) for DS-TB and USD 7,915 (95% CI, 4,948–10,882) for DR-TB. Nutritional supplements were the largest single cost driver (38.2% of the total cost for DS-TB and 53.8% for DR-TB), followed by post-diagnosis income loss. Catastrophic costs affected 41.4% of DS-TB and 52.9% of DR-TB households. Qualitative findings revealed widespread employment disruption, sustained income loss, coping through dissaving, and psychosocial distress.\n\nConclusions: Despite comprehensive health insurance and free TB medical care, TB-affected households in Korea face substantial non-medical and indirect costs. Eliminating catastrophic costs will require social protection measures addressing income loss, caregiving demands, and non-medical expenditures alongside universal health coverage.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 18,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Kyung Hyun Oh",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7273-3057"
    },
    {
      "name": "Minjoo Yang",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-6269-6574"
    },
    {
      "name": "Doosoo Jeon"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hojoon Sohn"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jeungeun Seo",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8998-1452"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chiwook Chung"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jeongha Mok"
    },
    {
      "name": "Nakwon Kwak"
    },
    {
      "name": "Taehoon Kim",
      "orcid": "0009-0008-3927-3774"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kang Seo",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-6082-2368"
    },
    {
      "name": "Youngmok Park",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5669-1491"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fukushi Morishita"
    },
    {
      "name": "Martin P. Grobusch"
    },
    {
      "name": "Seung-Eun Lee"
    },
    {
      "name": "Soonryu Seo"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jin-Hwan Jeon"
    },
    {
      "name": "Young Ae Kang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hongjo Choi",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8853-7061"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7d2x86v4bsbxv.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s12889-026-28579-4",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "7d2x86v4bsbxv",
  "issns": [
    "1471-2458"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://link.springer.com/10.1186/s12889-026-28579-4",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2725|Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220868349",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-07",
  "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7d2x86v4bsbxv.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:54Z",
      "native_id": "10.1186/s12889-026-28579-4",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://link.springer.com/10.1186/s12889-026-28579-4"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2725|Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology",
      "subfield": "infectious-disease"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Costs faced by households affected by tuberculosis in the Republic of Korea: a mixed-methods study",
  "title_text": "Costs faced by households affected by tuberculosis in the Republic of Korea: a mixed-methods study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:54Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7d2x86v4bsbxv",
  "venue": "BMC Public Health",
  "versions": []
}