Eurasian Journal of Emergency Medicine (Dec 2021)

The Burden of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease Disease on the Health System

  • Kerim Yeşildağ,
  • Önder Aydemir

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4274/eajem.galenos.2021.94824
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 20, no. 4
pp. 269 – 276

Abstract

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Aim:To analyze the cost of patients hospitalized in secondary and tertiary hospitals due to the diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) and to draw attention to the cost of COPD and the reasons that increase the cost in our country.Materials and Methods:This research was carried out in a chest diseases clinic in second and third-level hospitals affiliated with the ministry of health, between 1 January 2018-31 December 2018. Demographic features, smoking, duration of hospitalization, length of hospitalization in intensive care, antibiotics used, number of outpatients applied, total hospitalization cost, total costs and duration of antibiotics used were recorded. Costs were stated in Turkish Lira and converted into dollars. Cost data of patients with more than one hospitalization were entered separately.Results:The numbers of men and women were equal in both 2nd level and 3rd level patients. Looking at patients with COPD in both the secondary and tertiary, total hospital cost in patients was significantly higher than those who did not. When the length and number of hospitalization increased, the total cost of the hospital increased significantly. Significant differences were not found between age groups, gender, smoking status, comorbidities, antibiotic use, number of outpatient clinic admissions, and the number of hospitalizations in the last two years in terms of total hospital cost.Conclusion:The elimination and prevention of both internal and external factors that cause the disease, especially without the need for medication, is of great importance in terms of financial and labor loss prevention and reduction.

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