Lost Earnings and Nonmedical Expenses of Pediatric Hospitalizations

Area of Science:

• Pediatric healthcare economics
• Health services research
• Socioeconomic determinants of health

Background:

• Hospitalization incurs substantial nonmedical costs for families, including lost earnings and expenses for transportation, meals, and childcare.
• These financial burdens can complicate post-discharge decision-making and impact family well-being.
• Sociodemographic factors, particularly financial and social hardships, are critical considerations in understanding these costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the nonmedical costs associated with pediatric hospitalization for families.
• To evaluate the relationship between these costs and various sociodemographic factors.
• To identify specific subgroups of families disproportionately affected by hospitalization-related expenses.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Hospital-to-Home Outcomes Study.
• In-person surveys administered to parents during child hospitalization.
• Collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, financial/social hardships, household income, and total nonmedical cost burden.
• Calculated daily cost burden (DCB) and DCB as a percentage of daily household income (DCBi).

Main Results:

• Median total cost burden was $113; median DCB was $51; median DCBi was 45% across 1372 households.
• Significant variations in DCB and DCBi were observed across sociodemographic characteristics.
• Single-parent households and those reporting multiple financial or social hardships experienced substantially higher cost burdens.

Conclusions:

• Nonmedical costs associated with pediatric hospitalization pose a significant burden on families.
• Families facing socioeconomic challenges, including single-parent status and multiple hardships, are disproportionately affected.
• Addressing these nonmedical costs is crucial for equitable healthcare access and improved post-discharge outcomes.