Cost Of Providing Health Care Research Articles

Automatic generation of diffusion tensor imaging for the lumbar nerve using convolutional neural networks

【Purpose】Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) with tractography is useful for the functional diagnosis of degenerative lumbar disorders. However, it is not widely used in clinical settings due to time and health care provider costs, as it is performed manually on hospital workstations. The purpose of this study is to construct a system that extracts the lumbar nerve and generates tractography automatically using deep learning semantic segmentation. 【Methods】We acquired 839 axial diffusion weighted images (DWI) from the DTI data of 90 patients with degenerative lumbar disorders, and segmented the lumbar nerve roots using U-Net, a semantic segmentation model. Using five architectural models, the accuracy of the lumbar nerve root segmentation was evaluated using a Dice coefficient. We also created automatic scripts from three commercially available software tools, including MRICronGL for medical image viewing, Diffusion Toolkit for reconstruction of the DWI data, and Trackvis for the creation of the tractography, and compared the time required to create the tractography, and evaluated the quality of the automated tractography was evaluated. 【Results】Among the five models, the architectural model Resnet34 performed the best with a Dice = 0.780. The creation time for the automatic lumbar nerve tractography was 191 s, which was significantly shorter by 235 s than the manual time of 426 s (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the agreement between manual and automated tractography was 3.67 ± 1.53 (satisfactory). 【Conclusions】Using deep learning semantic segmentation, we were able to construct a system that automatically extracted the lumbar nerve and generated lumbar nerve tractography. This technology makes it possible to analyze lumbar nerve DTI and create tractography automatically, and is expected to advance the clinical applications of DTI for the assessment of the lumbar nerve.

Costs and health care resource utilization among Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common type of leukemia. However, published studies of CLL have either only focused on costs among individuals diagnosed with CLL without a non-CLL comparator group or focused on costs associated with specific CLL treatments. An examination of utilization and costs across different care settings provides a holistic view of utilization associated with CLL. To quantify the health care costs and resource utilization types attributable to CLL among Medicare beneficiaries and identify predictors associated with each of the economic outcomes among beneficiaries diagnosed with CLL. This retrospective study used a random 20% sample of the Medicare Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse (CCW) database covering the 2017-2019 period. The study population consisted of individuals with and without CLL. The CLL cohort and non-CLL cohort were matched using a 1:5 hard match based on baseline categorical variables. We characterized economic outcomes over 360 days across cost categories and places of services. We estimated average marginal effects using multivariable generalized linear regression models of total costs and across type of services. Total cost was compared between CLL and non-CLL cohorts using the matched sample. We used generalized linear models appropriate for the count or binary outcome to identify factors associated with various categories of health care resource utilization, such as inpatient admissions, emergency department (ED) visits, and oncologist/hematologist visits. A total of 2,736 beneficiaries in the CLL cohort and 13,571 beneficiaries in the non-CLL matched cohort were identified. Compared with the non-CLL cohort, the annual cost for the CLL cohort was higher (CLL vs non-CLL, mean [SD]: $22,781 [$37,592] vs $13,901 [$24,725]), mainly driven by health care provider costs ($6,535 vs $3,915) and Part D prescription drug costs ($5,916 vs $2,556). The main categories of health care resource utilization were physician evaluation/management visits, oncologist/hematologist visits, and laboratory services. Compared with beneficiaries aged 65-74 years, beneficiaries aged 85 years or older had lower use and cost in maintenance services (ie, oncologist visits, hospital outpatient costs, and prescription drug cost) but higher use and cost in acute services (ie, ED). Compared with residency in a metropolitan area, living in a nonmetropolitan area was associated with fewer physician visits but higher ED visits and hospitalizations. The cooccurrence of lower utilization of routine care services, along with higher utilization of acute care services among some individuals, has implications for patient burden and warrants further study.

The Economic Burden of the COVID-19 Pandemic in State of Kuwait.

The main aim of this study is to estimate the provider's cost, patients' cost (home and institutional quarantine cost) and the total economic burden of COVID-19 for patients with PCR positive in Kuwait. This cross-sectional and retrospective study identified the cost incurred for treating COVID-19 inpatients admitted to a General Hospital in Kuwait, a designated COVID-19 treatment center by the Kuwait Government during pandemic. A total of 485 COVID-19 patients were randomly selected from May 1st to September 31st, 2021. Data on sociodemographic information, length of stay (LOS), discharge status, and comorbidities were obtained from the patients' medical records. A step-down approach was done to estimate the healthcare provider cost per patient per admission. Patient cost (loss of productivity due to hospitalization, institutional and home quarantine) was calculated using human capital approach. The national economic burden of COVID-19 was estimated using costing data from a general hospital for the entire nation. The data were analyzed using the statistical software package SPSS version 25. In all, 485 COVID-19 patients were involved in the research. KD 2216 (USD 7,344) was the average cost per patient per admission. The ICU accounted for 20.6% of the total cost, the physician and nursing staff for 42.1%, and the laboratory services for 10.2%. The estimated annual cost of care for COVID-19 patients in Kuwait was KD 147.4 (USD 488.5) million, or 5.5% of the MOH budget for 2021, given that 9.03% (383,731) of the population had positive COVID-19 PCR results in 2021. The range of the estimated national economic burden, considering both the best and worst-case scenarios, is KD 73.6 (USD 244.2) million to KD 221.0 (USD 732.7) million. COVID-19 poses a substantial financial strain on the healthcare system, estimated at 5.9% to 8.8% of the MOH's annual budget and 0.2% to 0.7% of Kuwait's GDP in 2021. To mitigate costs, prioritizing prevention and health education is crucial. Targeted strategies, such as workforce optimization, are needed to address high expenses. Policymakers and administrators should leverage these insights for enhanced efficiency and sustainability in future epidemic responses.

Assessment of Antibiotics Resistance pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Patients Admitted in selected Hospitals in Kebbi State, Nigeria

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp) that induce a dignified healthcare aggravation among hospital admitted patients. This results in prolonged hospital stays, which increase costs for healthcare providers and patients' families. Therefore, this study aimed to isolate Pseudomonas aeruginosa and evaluate its resistance patterns from patients admitted to selected hospitals in Kebbi State. A total of 185 clinical samples, including nasal intubation, urine catheters, and wound swabs, were obtained. The bacteria were isolated and identified following standard microbiological methods. Modified Kirby Bauer techniques was used to determine the susceptibility status of the isolates. Out of 185 clinical samples collected, 43 (23.2%) bacterial isolates yield positive and 13 (30.2%) of which were P. aeruginosa from the studied hospitals. Prevalence of P. aeruginosa was found to be higher among females 08 (61.5%). The age groups 6-11 years had the highest prevalence P. aeruginosa 07 (53.8%). P. aeruginosa was isolated most from wound swab samples, 07 (24.1%). The Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates exhibit high level resistance (100%) to Amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid, Cefpodoxime, Cefepime, Cepotaxime and Meropenem and showed least resistant to Imepenem 05 (38.4%). The increasing resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates to multiple antimicrobial agents that are currently considered as first- line agents for the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, this highlights the need for careful use of these agents and also suggests the need for careful and up-to-date monitoring of multidrug- resistant strains diffusion in the various health care facilities of the country. Treatment options should be guided by medical laboratory scientist via microscopy culture and sensitivity testing, as well as local epidemiological surveillance data.

Operational shock: A method for estimating cyber security incident costs for large Australian healthcare providers

ABSTRACT This paper introduces a novel cyber incident cost estimation methodology, applicable to large Australian healthcare providers. A review demonstrates the poor utility of current risk estimation approaches and the vulnerability of healthcare networks is evaluated using Leibniz’s law of indiscernibles, and Evans’ theory of vague objects. Finally, a quantitative cost calculation method is proposed, merging temporal and impact variables with service data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. This research demonstrates that existing attempts to measure cyber incident risk produces vague results. This is evidenced by 929 Australian healthcare data breaches recorded over 5 years, a AU$0.6bn annual national risk exposure, and low levels of healthcare cyber maturity across three states. The likelihood of data breaches is reported as 99.4%, with known ICT vulnerabilities exceeding 207,000. After logically concluding that healthcare networks are fundamentally insecure, an ‘operational shock’ calculation method is modelled against the AIHW data, to illustrate realistic cyber incident costs. This returns an exposure across Australia’s acute care hospital network of AU$148.1 m from a single incident that takes 1 week to resolve. In considering this quantum, risk transfer options using cyber insurance and improved agency cyber risk programs are required to mitigate significant financial risks.

Healthcare provider cost ofantimicrobial resistance intwo teaching hospitals inGhana.

Understanding the healthcare provider costs of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in lower-middle-income countries would motivate healthcare facilities to prioritize reducing the AMR burden. This study evaluates the extra length of stay and the associated healthcare provider costs due to AMR to estimate the potential economic benefits of AMR prevention strategies. We combined data from a parallel cohort study with administrative data from the participating hospitals. The parallel cohort study prospectively matched a cohort of patients with bloodstream infections caused by third-generation cephalosporin-resistant enterobacteria and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (AMR cohort) with two control arms: patients infected with similar susceptible bacteria and a cohort of uninfected controls. Data collection took place from June to December 2021. We calculated the cost using aggregated micro-costing and step-down costing approaches and converted costs into purchasing power parity in international US dollars, adjusting for surviving patients, bacterial species and cost centres. We found that the AMR cohort spent a mean of 4.2 extra days (95% CI: 3.7-4.7) at Hospital 1 and 5.5 extra days (95% CI: 5.1-5.9) at Hospital 2 compared with the susceptible cohort. This corresponds to an estimated mean extra cost of $823 (95% CI: 812-863) and $946 (95% CI: US$929-US$964) per admission, respectively. For both hospitals, the estimated mean annual extra cost attributable to AMR was approximately US$650 000. The cost varies by organism and type of resistance expressed. The result calls for prioritization of interventions to mitigate the spread of AMR in Ghana.

Pay-it-forward influenza vaccination among older adults and children: A cost-effectiveness analysis in China.

A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a pay-it-forward strategy for increasing influenza vaccination among children and older adults compared to a self-paid vaccination strategy in China. Pay-it-forward is an innovative community-engaged intervention in which participants receive a free influenza vaccination and are then asked if they would like to donate or create a message to support subsequent vaccinations. This economic evaluation used a decision-tree model to compare pay-it-forward to a standard of care arm in which patients had to pay for their own influenza vaccine. The analysis was performed from the healthcare provider perspective and costs were calculated with 2020 United States dollars. The time horizon was one year. In the base case analysis, pay-it-forward was more effective (111 vs 55 people vaccinated) but more costly than standard-of-care ($4477 vs $2725). Pay-it-forward spurred 96.4% (107/111) of individuals to voluntarily donate to support influenza vaccination for high-risk groups in China. Further costing and implementation research is needed to inform scale up.

Applications of Quantum Computing for Business Analytics in Healthcare Management

The advent of Quantum Computing is a revolutionary step of mankind. This computer has the potential to grow in many areas, especially with healthcare. This paper views the role of quantum computing in healthcare, more specifically how quantum computing can reduce costs for healthcare providers and their insured customers.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of COVID-19 critical care interventions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a modeling study

ObjectiveTo estimate and compare the cost-effectiveness of COVID-19 critical care intervention approaches: noninvasive (oxygen without intubation) and invasive (intubation) management in Ethiopia.MethodsA Markov model is used to compare the costs and outcomes for non-invasive and invasive COVID-19 clinical interventions using both primary and secondary data sources. Healthcare provider costs (recurrent and capital cost) and patient-side costs (direct and indirect) were estimated and reported in United States Dollars (US$), 2021. The outcome measure used in this analysis was DALYs averted. Both the average cost-effectiveness ratio (ACER) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were reported. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were applied to assess the robustness of the findings. The analysis is conducted using Tree Age pro health care software 2022.ResultThe average cost per patient per episode for mild/moderate, severe, noninvasive, and invasive critical management was $951, $3449, $5514, and $6500, respectively. According to the average cost-effective ratio (ACER), non-invasive management resulted in $1991 per DALY averted, while invasive management resulted in $3998 per DALY averted. Similarly, the incremental cost-effective ratio (ICER) of invasive compared to noninvasive management was $ 4948 per DALY averted.ConclusionClinical management of critical COVID-19 cases in Ethiopia is associated with a significant financial burden. Invasive intervention is unlikely to be a cost-effective COVID-19 intervention in Ethiopia compared to noninvasive critical case management using a willingness to pay threshold of three times GDP per capita.

Factors influencing health anxiety

Health anxiety can have a detrimental impact to psychological wellbeing and is linked to increased healthcare utilisation and associated costs for healthcare providers. This study investigated relationships between health anxiety and age, gender, trait anxiety, medical care-seeking, and serious illness diagnosis in the individual and their blood relatives. A cross-sectional, correlational design was used to assess these relationships across a sample of 108 adult participants. Analysis revealed significant associations between health anxiety and age, gender, and trait anxiety. It is concluded that younger adults and females are at increased risk of developing health anxiety. These findings inform practical interventions that could increase health anxiety detection and reduce associated costs.

EE561 An Examination of Healthcare Provider Costs Associated with Paper-Based Consent

The standard paper consent (PC) pathway can be associated with missing information, error, and inadequate patient comprehension. Digital consent (DC) presents an alternative approach to address this unmet need. However, limited research has been conducted to examine costs associated with paper-based consent forms.

From population numbers to population needs: Incorporating epidemiological change into health service planning in Australia

BackgroundIn the face of rapidly ageing populations and increasing costs of health care provision, questions continue to be raised about the long-term sustainability of publicly funded health care programmes around the world. But despite increasing evidence of dynamic changes in epidemiology, most official health service planning models continue to rely on the implicit assumption that age-specific requirements for services (and by implication age-specific needs for care) will remain constant across future years (‘constant-use models'). ObjectivesIn this paper, we discuss the advantage of dynamic ‘changing needs’ planning models, compared to ‘constant-use’ planning models, and consider a framework that integrates population needs directly into health service planning. Using Australian survey data, we empirically illustrate the difference between static health service planning approaches to dynamic needs-driven planning models. MethodsWe use data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Survey in Australia (HILDA) to explore trends in health needs from 2001 to 2020. We subsequently simulate a ‘changing-needs' planning model where changes in health needs by birth-cohorts are incorporated into official government estimates from the Australian Intergenerational Reports (IGR) to understand the potential impact on future health care requirements. ResultsOur results show that healthy ageing trends are being observed for successive birth-cohorts with these trends greatest in older age groups, the age groups for which health care expenditures are largest. Adjusting for these changes in needs using Australian data leads to reductions in the expenditures required for future years ranging from 1.5 (2.50%) to 3 billion (5.25%) 2019 AUD. ConclusionWe conclude that ‘constant-use’ planning models based on the expected future numbers of people in different age groups applied to current levels of service use by age groups without any consideration given to changing age-specific needs for health care lead to inefficient resource planning.

Cost-utility analysis of the UPRIGHT intervention promoting resilience in adolescents

BackgroundAs mental health in adulthood is related to mental status during adolescence, school-based interventions have been proposed to improve resilience. The objective of this study was to build a simulation model representing the natural history of mental disorders in childhood, adolescence and youth to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the UPRIGHT school-based intervention in promoting resilience and mental health in adolescence.MethodsWe built a discrete event simulation model fed with real-world data (cumulative incidence disaggregated into eight clusters) from the Basque Health Service database (609,381 individuals) to calculate utilities (quality-adjusted life years [QALYs]) and costs for the general population in two scenarios (base case and intervention). The model translated changes in the wellbeing of adolescents into different risks of mental illnesses for a time horizon of 30 years.ResultsThe number of cases of anxiety was estimated to fall by 5,125 or 9,592 and those of depression by 1,269 and 2,165 if the effect of the intervention lasted 2 or 5 years respectively. From a healthcare system perspective, the intervention was cost-effective for all cases considered with incremental cost-utility ratios always lower than €10,000/QALY and dominant for some subgroups. The intervention was always dominant when including indirect and non-medical costs (societal perspective).ConclusionsAlthough the primary analysis of the trial did not did not detect significant differences, the UPRIGHT intervention promoting positive mental health was dominant in the economic evaluation from the societal perspective. Promoting resilience was more cost-effective in the most deprived group. Despite a lack of information about the spillover effect in some sectors, the economic evaluation framework developed principally for pharmacoeconomics can be applied to interventions to promote resilience in adolescents. As prevention of mental health disorders is even more necessary in the post-coronavirus disease-19 era, such evaluation is essential to assess whether investment in mental health promotion would be good value for money by avoiding costs for healthcare providers and other stakeholders.

Duration of Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Survivors: A Lifelong Commitment?

Lung cancer is one of the most common human malignancies and the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Novel therapeutic approaches, like targeted therapies against specific molecular alterations and immunotherapy, have revolutionized in the last decade the oncological outcomes in patients affected by non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The advent of immunotherapy for the treatment of NSCLC has significantly improved overall and progression-free survival, as well as the patient's quality of life in comparison to traditional chemotherapy. Currently, it is estimated that long-term survival can be achieved in more than 15% of NSCLC patients treated with immunotherapy. Therefore, the optimal duration of immunotherapy in long survivors needs to be established to avoid overtreatment, side effects, and high costs and at the same time, protect them from potential disease relapse or progression. We performed a narrative review to discuss all the aspects related to the optimal duration of immunotherapy in long survivors with NSCLC. Data regarding the duration of immunotherapy in the most impacting clinical trials were collected, along with data regarding the impact of toxicities, side effects, and costs for healthcare providers. In addition, the two-year immunotherapy scheme in patients who benefit from first-line or subsequent treatment lines are examined, and the need for biomarkers that can predict outcomes during and after immunotherapy cessation in patients affected by NSCLC are discussed.

Experience, Knowledge, and Perceptions of Pharmacogenomics among Pharmacists and Nurse Practitioners in Alberta Hospitals.

Despite evidence of clinical utility and the availability of prescription guidelines, pharmacogenomics (PGx) is not broadly used in institutional settings in Canada. To inform future implementation, this study aimed to identify healthcare provider knowledge, experience, and perceptions of PGx in Alberta, Canada. An online 44-item survey was distributed to pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and physicians employed or contracted with Alberta Health Services from January to May 2022. Questions included: demographics, professional history, PGx education and exposure, knowledge, and ability to use PGx, and attitudes towards, feasibility, clinical utility, education, and implementation. Ninety-one pharmacists, 37 nurse practitioners, and 6 physicians completed the survey. Fifty-nine percent had 10 or more years of experience, and 71% practiced in urban settings. Only one-third had training in PGx, and one-quarter had used PGx. Most respondents (63%) had no knowledge of PGx resources, including the Pharmacogenomics Knowledge Base (75%), or the Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium guidelines (85%). While participants agreed that they understood genetic (75%) and PGx (63%) concepts, most disagreed with their ability regarding practical applications of PGx such as translating genotype to phenotype (74%) or counselling patients on results (66%). Participants agreed on the clinical utility of PGx in preventing adverse drug reactions (80%) and enhancing medication efficacy (77%), and identified oncology (62%), cardiovascular/stroke (60%), and psychiatry (56%) as therapeutic areas to consider implementation. At present, healthcare provider knowledge (87%), cost (81%), and limited guidelines/evidence (70%) are seen as the greatest barriers to implementation. Alberta healthcare providers have limited training, experience, or knowledge in PGx. However, most appear to have a positive outlook regarding clinical utility, especially within oncology, cardiology, and psychiatry. More effort is required to socialize the availability and quality of evidence and guidelines for the interpretation of PGx test results, address other knowledge gaps, and improve financial limitations.

Sustainability in physiotherapy and rehabilitation

With the goal of decarbonization and carbon neutrality in the health sectors of many countries by 2050, health professionals must implement systemic changes in clinical practice to reduce carbon use, whilst meeting equity targets and improving health outcomes. Sustainable healthcare practices address the socio-ecological determinants that undermine population health, intervene as early as possible in the disease process, deliver ‘lean’ healthcare pathways and reduce the ‘triple bottom line’ costs of healthcare provision, benefiting patients, populations, and the environment. Methods and tools to do this are available and physiotherapists can play a key role in improving health outcomes and achieving sustainable development goals.

Clinically Relevant Features for Predicting the Severity of Surgical Site Infections.

Surgical site infections are hospital-acquired infections resulting in severe risk for patients and significantly increased costs for healthcare providers. In this work, we show how to leverage irregularly sampled preoperative blood tests to predict, on the day of surgery, a future surgical site infection and its severity. Our dataset is extracted from the electronic health records of patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery and developed either deep, shallow or no infection. We represent the patients using the concentrations of fourteen common blood components collected over the four weeks preceding the surgery partitioned into six time windows. A gradient boosting based classifier trained on our new set of features reports an AUROC of 0.991 for predicting a postoperative infection and and AUROC of 0.937 for classifying the severity of the infection. Further analyses support the clinical relevance of our approach as the most important features describe the nutritional status and the liver function over the two weeks prior to surgery.

Use of Biologic Therapies in the Treatment of Asthma - A Comparative Real World Data Analysis on Healthcare Resource Utilization and Costs Before and After Therapy Initiation.

BackgroundAsthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in Germany. While many patients achieve asthma control under standard therapies, some patients still experience exacerbations and persistent airway obstructions. Thus, further pharmacological treatment is needed, and biologics could fill this gap, as they have shown clinical benefit in patients with severe asthma. Therefore, this real-world study aimed to compare healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and associated costs before and after biologic therapy initiation.MethodsA retrospective claims data analysis has been conducted on adult asthma patients who initiated a long-term biologic therapy between January 2015 and June 2018. Patients were therapy-naïve to biologics for at least 12 months. HCRU and cost incurred by patients during 12 months before and after therapy initiation were compared.ResultsOverall, 571 asthma patients initiated a biologic therapy during the observational period (316 omalizumab, 232 mepolizumab, 16 benralizumab, and 7 reslizumab). Patients had a mean age of 54.86 (62.70% female), and the majority (93.70%) received at least one follow-up prescription of their index-biologic agent within one year. During baseline, patients received on average 2.75 OCS prescriptions compared to 2.17 during follow-up. Most patients received less or the same amount of OCS after therapy initiation. Moreover, hospitalizations and asthma-related sick leave days decreased significantly. The average total costs per patient were €6618.90 during baseline and €22,832.33 during follow-up. Biologics mainly drove the increase; however, hospitalization costs were reduced significantly (€2443.37 vs €1941.93; p<0.001).ConclusionOur study demonstrates an improved asthma control due to the initiation of a biologic therapy in terms of decreased hospitalization frequency, OCS consumption, and sick leave days. However, biologics are associated with high costs for healthcare providers during the first year after initiation. Therefore, short- and long-term clinical benefits and financial burden must be considered in the overall context of healthcare.

Trends In Hospital Prices Paid By Private Health Plans Varied Substantially Across The US.

Commercial health plans pay higher prices than public payers for hospital care, which accounts for more than 5percent of US gross domestic product. Crafting effective policy responses requires monitoring trends and identifying sources of variation. Relying on data from the Healthcare Provider Cost Reporting Information System, we describe how commercial hospital payment rates changed relative to Medicare rates during 2012-19 and how trends differed by hospital referral region (HRR). We found that average commercial-to-Medicare price ratios were relatively stable, but trends varied substantially across HRRs. Among HRRs with high price ratios in 2012, ratios increased by 38percentage points in regions in the top quartile of growth and decreased by 38percentage points in regions in the bottom quartile. Our findings suggest that restraining the growth rate of HRR commercial hospital price ratios to the national average during our sample period would have reduced aggregate spending by $39billion in 2019.

Severe scalds sustained during steam inhalation therapy in an adult population: Analysis of patient outcomes and the financial burden to healthcare services

SummaryBackgroundSteam inhalation therapy (SIT) is a common home remedy for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections. Literature reports are increasingly discouraging this practice in the paediatric population due to the risk of scalds, however, this is yet to be echoed for adults.MethodsA retrospective review of patients admitted to a tertiary burns centre from 2015 to 2020 was undertaken identifying all adult patients requiring in-patient specialist treatment for scald injuries sustained during steam inhalation. Cost analysis and long-term patient outcomes were reviewed.ResultsTwelve adult patients required inpatient management with a mean length of admission of 8 nights. One patient required operative intervention, long-term sequelae included scarring, skin sensitivity, pain, or psychological morbidity. The estimated mean cost per patient was £5402 giving a mean cost per year of £12 964.ConclusionSIT can be associated with severe scald injuries in adults and incur considerable costs for healthcare providers.