Evolution of hospital spending with drug-related psychiatric hospital admissions

To analyse the trend of expenditure on drug-related psychiatric hospital admissions in Maringá, Paraná, Brazil, from 1999 to 2012.

Ecological time series research with secondary data from the hospital information system of the unified health system ("SIH-SUS"). The records of admissions with a main diagnosis of drug abuse were used to calculate average expenditure. Chapter V of the ICD-10 was used to classify the most frequent diagnoses, namely abuse of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, and psychoactive substances. The trend was expressed using a polynomial regression model.

Average expenditure showed an increasing trend for cocaine and other psychoactive substances, and a decreasing trend for cannabis. Average expenditure for illicit drugs increased significantly.

The scarcity of economic studies on this subject calls for national studies that address expenditure with drug-related hospital admission to promote the implementation of a psychosocial, outpatient and hospital care network in accord with public healthcare expenditure.