Journal of Long-Term Care (Aug 2023)
Wound-Specific Oral Nutritional Supplementation Can Reduce the Economic Burden of Pressure Injuries for Nursing Homes: Results from an Economic Model
Abstract
Objectives: To measure the cost savings and staff time savings of wound-specific oral nutritional supplements (WS-ONS) for patients with pressure injuries (PIs) in an average US nursing home in one year. Methods: Using evidence on how WS-ONS can impact PI healing time, we created a decision tree model to estimate changes in annual nursing home cost and staff time needed to treat PIs, between WS-ONS and standard of care. Cost savings were modeled as the reduced costs (in 2021 USD) of treating PIs due to improved healing time for a typical nursing home. Staff time was modeled using a time per task approach with tasks based on current PI treatment guidelines. The study period was one year, and the cost savings were measured from a US nursing home perspective. Results: A typical US nursing home with 85 residents would have 16 PI cases per year. Depending on the PI stage, WS-ONS reduced time to healing among patients with PI by 5.7 to 7.9 weeks compared to standard of care. WS-ONS use during PI reduced nursing home costs by $6,319 per patient for a Stage 2 PI, $7,651 per patient for a Stage 3 PI, and $16,579 per patient for a Stage 4 PI. The total cost savings from WS-ONS use at the nursing home level were $44,230 for Stage 2 PIs, $15,301 for Stage 3 PIs, and $49,737 for Stage 4 PIs. Across all stages, total annual cost savings for the typical US nursing home was $109,269. Nursing home staff time saving from WS-ONS administration was 65 hours per PI patient or 1,040 hours per nursing home per year. Implications: Nursing homes can realize reduced costs and staff time required to treat PIs from the use of WS-ONS among patients with PIs. Future research should uncover the suitable implementation strategies for nursing homes to use WS-ONS for appropriate patients with PI.
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