Direct costs of treating COVID-19 Cases Admitted to a Tertiary Hospital in Ankara, Türkiye

ABSTRACT

Objective: The aim of the study is to estimate the direct treatment cost of COVID-19 cases in ICU and Ward, and the average length of stay during the pandemic period. Material and methods: The cost study was carried out from the provider's perspective in a tertiary hospital in Ankara. Only direct costs during hospitalization were analyzed excluding medication costs. The Average Length of Stay (LOS) was determined. The cost was estimated for COVID-19 patients that were admitted to the ward and intensive care unit (ICU) by gender and age group. Patient medical records were reviewed retrospectively in a period of 1 month (April 1, 2020 - April 30, 2020) for clinical data and patient hospital bills were used for costing data. Result: A total of 525 COVID-19 patients were admitted to the hospital. Slightly more than half of the COVID-19 patients were male (52.1% overall) and the mean age was 47.5±18.6 years for males and 51.0±19.4 for females. Overall, 4.4% of COVID-19 cases were among children and adolescents (≥18 years), 72.8% were among adults (19–64 years), and 22.9% were among elderly adults (≥ 65 years). The direct cost estimated for COVID-19 ranged from 3,781.77 Turkish liras (TL) to 32,494.98 TL. The average LOS for ICU TL patients and ward patients were 4, 5, and 6 days, respectively. Conclusion: The cost of treating COVID-19 in ICU is high compared to the treatment costs in the ward. The average length of stay for COVID-19 cases in ICU was longer among elderly patients.