Costs of Burn Care: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objectives: Chronic idiopathic (or spontaneous) urticaria (CIU) is estimated to occur in 0.3% of the general population in Turkey. Although the burden of the disease is substantial for the payer, there has been no cost-analysis performed in our country. The purposes of this study are to determine the resources and costs related to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with CIU, and to estimate the annual economic burden to the Social Security Institution (SGK). MethOds: Delphi technique was applied to determine the type and the amount of resources used in different stages of CIU defined as mild or moderate to severe based on physicians clinical assessment. The Delphi method solicits the opinion of an expert panel through a carefully designed questionnaire which in this case included questions on: epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment of symptoms and angioedema, adverse events, follow-up visits, hospital and emergency service admissions. The responses were analysed and discussed in a face to face meeting followed by consensus building steps. Unit of resources used for different CIU severity levels were determined from expert opinion. Unit costs of resources used in outpatient clinics were obtained from SGK's Reimbursement Guideline-List of Procedure Fees Per Service. Results: Hospitalizations, emergency admissions, outpatient visits and treatments, are the key cost drivers in the management of CIU The annual cost per patient is calculated to be 725.36 Turkish Liras (TL) for mild CIU, 1.322,61 TL for moderate CIU and 2,478.75 TL for severe CIU. The total annual cost of CIU to SGK is estimated to be 262 million TL in 2014. cOnclusiOns: This is the first study that aims to estimate the resource utilisation and cost burden of CIU in Turkey by using the Delphi technique. Cost effective treatment of CIU is an unmet need given the heavy burden to SGK identified by the Delphi Panel.

Anti-inflammatory effects of low-level laser in burn wound models in rats

“…The events that occur during the proliferative phase include angiogenesis, deposition of collagen, epithelialization, and wound contraction [20,21]. Burn healing occurs by secondary intention, a slow process with a high infection risk and produces scar retraction, which may lead to extensive scarring and subsequent high burn-related treatment costs, depending on the injury location [22]. This study demonstrated in vivo clinical effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on second-degree thermal burns in rats.…”

A holistic exploration of paediatric partial thickness burn care in the outpatient setting

“…Burns dressings are expensive and with a large number of children treated for burns every year, this is a significant burden on the healthcare system [18]. A systematic review of burn care costs calculated the mean total cost as $3,883 per 1% TBSA burned for burns 0-10% TBSA in high income countries [18].…”

“…Burns dressings are expensive and with a large number of children treated for burns every year, this is a significant burden on the healthcare system [18]. A systematic review of burn care costs calculated the mean total cost as $3,883 per 1% TBSA burned for burns 0-10% TBSA in high income countries [18]. As a comparison to other morbidities, a study on burn care in Spain reported that the mean annual cost of burn care was $99,773 compared to $13,826 in the first year post-stroke for stroke survivors [19].…”

“…per 1% TBSA burned in injuries 0-10% TBSA [18]. The AIHW [25] estimated the costs to the Australian healthcare system for burn injuries requiring hospitalization (inpatients) as between $37.8 and $40.2 million.…”

“…TBSA burned for burns 0-10% TBSA in high income countries [18]. Thus, choosing a silver dressing which can promote a rapid re-epithelialization time (therefore decreasing the need for scar management and surgical intervention), and which is also less costly than other silver dressings on the market, has the potential to greatly reduce the resource consuming burden on the health system from pediatric burn injuries.…”