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Costs associated with tuberculosis control programs at hospitals caring for children
S Kellerman1, L Saiman, M Soto-Irizarry
1Investigation and Prevention Branch, Hospital Infections Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
Insights
Implementing tuberculosis (TB) infection control measures in pediatric hospitals costs between $15,270 and $28,158 over two years. These costs, primarily for engineering controls, are lower than in adult settings.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- Healthcare Economics
- Pediatric Public Health
Background:
- Limited data exists on the financial investment required for tuberculosis (TB) infection control in pediatric healthcare settings.
- Understanding these costs is crucial for resource allocation and program planning in pediatric TB prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the costs associated with implementing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection control measures in pediatric hospitals.
- To provide baseline cost data for TB control programs in facilities caring for children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cost analysis of TB control measures implemented between 1994 and 1995.
- Data collected from infection control and TB coordinators at two pediatric hospitals and one pediatric ward.
- Included costs for tuberculin skin testing, respiratory protection programs, and environmental controls.
Main Results:
- Total expenditures for TB control ranged from $15,270 to $28,158 over the two-year study period.
- Engineering controls represented the largest capital investment at two of the three facilities.
- Annual costs for tuberculin skin tests varied significantly ($949 to $12,504/hospital), while respiratory protection programs ranged from $480 to $1680 over two years.
Conclusions:
- The costs of implementing TB control measures in pediatric settings were found to be relatively low and varied by institution.
- These expenditures reflect upgrades to existing programs rather than the cost of an ideal TB control strategy.
- Further research is needed to define and cost optimal TB control programs specifically for pediatric populations.
Objective:
No data are available on the costs of implementing infection control measures for the control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in pediatric settings. In this study we determined the cost of MTB control measures at three hospitals caring for children.
Design:
Infection control and tuberculosis (TB) coordinators obtained cost data retrospectively for the years 1994 to 1995 for tuberculin skin test programs, respiratory protection programs and the retrofit or new construction of environmental controls in pediatric settings.
Setting:
Two pediatric hospitals and one pediatric ward in a large tertiary care hospital.
Results:
Total expenditures for TB controls ranged from $15270 to $28158 for the 2-year study period. Engineering controls involved the largest capital outlay at two of three facilities. Average yearly tuberculin skin test costs ranged from $949 to $12504/hospital. Respiratory protection programs cost from $480 to $1680 during the 2-year study period.
Conclusions:
Costs associated with implementing control measures varied slightly by hospital but were less than those incurred by hospitals caring for adults. These costs represent improvements made to upgrade selected aspects of hospital TB control programs, not the cost of an optimal TB control program. Optimal TB control programs in pediatric settings have yet to be described.