Urgent care costs of uncontrolled asthma in Canada, 2004

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Economics
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Asthma management and associated costs in Canada were last comprehensively evaluated over a decade ago.
• Current data on the specific costs of urgent care for uncontrolled asthma is lacking.
• Asthma remains a significant public health concern, often inadequately controlled in many patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the annual cost of urgent care for uncontrolled asthma in Canada.
• To identify the primary healthcare resource utilization contributing to these costs.
• To highlight the potential economic benefits of improved asthma control.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of healthcare resource utilization data for uncontrolled asthma patients.
• Quantification of direct medical costs associated with hospitalizations, unscheduled physician visits, emergency department visits, medications, and ambulance services.
• Estimation of total annual costs attributed to uncontrolled asthma.

Main Results:

• The uncontrolled asthmatic population incurs an estimated annual cost of 162 million US dollars.
• Key cost drivers include hospitalizations, unscheduled physician visits, and emergency department visits.
• Ambulance rides and drug treatments also represent significant expenditures.

Conclusions:

• Urgent care for uncontrolled asthma represents a substantial economic burden in Canada.
• Improved asthma control strategies have the potential to yield significant cost savings.
• Further research into cost-effective asthma management interventions is warranted.