RESUMO
Objectives: The authors conducted a study to estimate the rising disease and economic burden of viral severe acute respiratory infections and their management, including COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza types A and B, in early and delayed diagnosis scenarios in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from a national perspective. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2022 using a de novo Excel-based universal cost-of-illness calculator model. The study used primary data, such as expert interviews, as well as secondary data from a thorough literature search. Results: The total economic burden of viral severe acute respiratory infections in patients with an early diagnosis was lower than those with a delayed diagnosis among patients with complications, both from the payer's (United States dollar [USD] 3846 million vs USD 4726 million) and societal (USD 4048 million vs USD 5020 million, respectively) perspectives. The major cost driver of the total economic burden for both early and delayed diagnosis was disease management costs: 49% (USD 1880 million) and 58% (USD 2730 million), respectively. Conclusions: In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the total economic burden for COVID-19, influenza (epidemic phase), and respiratory syncytial virus was higher with a delayed diagnosis vs an early diagnosis, emphasizing the importance of using a broader diagnostic method.
RESUMO
This study aimed to assess patient-related factors associated with the LOS among adults admitted to the ICU in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Health provided a cross-sectional dataset for 2021, which served as the data source for this study. The data included data on adults admitted to different ICUs at various hospitals. The number of days spent in the ICU was the outcome variable of interest. The potential predictors were age, sex, and nationality, as well as clinical data from the time of admission. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were used to analyse the association between the predictors and the ICU LOS and characterize how they were distributed. We used negative binomial regression to examine the relationship between the study predictors and the ICU LOS. A total of 42,884 individuals were included in this study, of whom 25,520 were men and 17,362 were women. The overall median ICU LOS was three days. This study showed that the ICU LOS was highly influenced by the patient's age, sex, nationality, source of admission, and clinical history. Several predictors that affect how long adults stay in the ICU in Saudi Arabian hospitals were identified in this study. These factors can be attributed to variances in health care delivery systems, patient demographics, and cultural considerations. To allocate resources efficiently, enhance patient outcomes, and create focused treatments to reduce ICU LOS, it is essential to comprehend these elements.
