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Medical cost of acute diarrhea in children in ambulatory care

Xavier Sánchez1, Gerardine Leal2, Angel Padilla2

  • 1Centro de Investigación en Salud para América Latina (CISeAL), Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), Quito, Ecuador.

Plos One
|December 16, 2022
PubMed

Insights

The direct medical cost of acute diarrhea in children under five in Ecuador was $45.24 per episode. Unnecessary lab tests significantly increased the total annual cost for the Ministry of Public Health.

Area of Science:

  • Health Economics
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health Policy

Background:

  • Acute diarrhea (AD) poses a significant health burden on young children globally.
  • Estimating the direct medical costs of AD is crucial for resource allocation in healthcare systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the direct medical cost per episode and annual cost of acute diarrhea in children under five.
  • To analyze costs within Ecuador's Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) ambulatory care centers.

Main Methods:

  • A cost of illness study using micro-costing from a provider perspective.
  • Valuation of health resources in international dollars using MOPH tariffs and pharmacy purchase data.

Main Results:

  • Analysis included 332 electronic health records of children under five.
  • Mean cost per episode of AD was $45.24 (2019 USD).
  • Total estimated annual cost for MOPH in 2019 was over $6.6 million.

Conclusions:

  • Direct medical costs for acute diarrhea in young children are substantial.
  • A significant portion of AD costs in outpatient settings is attributed to potentially unnecessary laboratory tests.
Abstract

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