Assessing the Length of Hospital Stay and Economic Outlay for Therapy in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: To assess the LOS and costs for hospitalized CKD patients, to compare the pharmacoeconomic-related direct medical and non-medical costs among pre-dialysis and dialysis patients, and to determine the impact of CKD with other comorbidities on hospital LOS and cost. Methods: An observational study was conducted on 160 patients admitted to the Nephrology Department. From the collected data, the direct and indirect costs of the treatment were analyzed using a standard questionnaire. Results: Dialysis was significantly correlated with total cost and total indirect cost rather than total direct cost. The statistical analysis showed that comorbidities and LOS were not significantly correlated, which shows that CKD alone is responsible for increased LOS. Both LOS and cost were significantly correlated (p-value 0.00). The stage of CKD and the type of treatment being used are the main determinants of LOS. Direct medical, direct non-medical, and total direct costs were significantly related to comorbidities (p-value 0.004, 0.005, and 0.058, respectively). Conclusion: The study revealed that dialysis was significantly correlated with total cost and total indirect cost. Dialysis treatments, hospital stays, and other CKD-related requirements necessitated many time-consuming visits and procedures. According to the study's analysis of the data, there is no statistically significant relationship between comorbidities and LOS. This demonstrates that the lengthening of stays is solely attributable to CKD

Keywords

• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Dialysis
• Length of Stay
• Cost
• Comorbidities