Revista Portuguesa de Farmacoterapia (Jul 2017)
Cost of Treatment of Hospitalized Patients with Diabetes in Prenda Hospital Medicine Service, Angola
Abstract
Introduction: Diabetes has a major impact on morbidity and mortality today. It is estimated that by 2040, about 642 million people are affected worldwide, of which, 34.2 million are from sub-Saharan countries. The direct annual cost of diabetes health care worldwide is estimated at about 153 billion dollars. These patients represent 30% to 40% of all admissions to emergency services, leading to high values of hospital expenditure. We aim to evaluate the cost of treatment of patients with diabetes admitted to Prenda Hospital Medicine Service in 2012. Methods: Retrospective analytical observational study, with data collected from the clinical processes of medical service (age and gender, length of hospitalization, resources consumed, cost of treatment per patient and discharge). Results: Out of 121 patients, the majority was female (n = 70, 57.9%). The age group of 36 to 45 years old was the most frequent among these patients (n = 26, 21.5%). November was the month that recorded the largest number of admissions (n = 17, 14%). About 45.5% were hospitalized during five to eight days, on average for nine days. The majority (76.9%) was discharged due to health condition improvement. The price of materials used for treatment of the disease had high variation, and 31 550.15 kwanzas was spent to acquire them. The direct cost per patient per day was 4170.11 kwanzas and the estimated annual cost of care of diabetic patients admitted to Prenda Hospital was 45 525 490.9 kwanzas in 2012. Discussion and Conclusion: These results are in accordance with other studies, indicating a relevant cost of treatment of diabetic patients admitted to Prenda Hospital Medicine Service in 2012.
