Estimation Of Direct Medical Costs Of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection: A Single-Center Retrospective Chart Review Study

• Main Authors: AlRuthia Y, Somily AM, Alkhamali AS, Bahari OH, AlJuhani RJ, Alsenaidy M, Balkhi B
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2019-11-01
• Series: Infection and Drug Resistance
• Subjects: middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus; costs and cost analysis; saudi arabia.
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/estimation-of-direct-medical-costs-of-middle-east-respiratory-syndrome-peer-reviewed-article-IDR

Yazed AlRuthia,1,2 Ali M Somily,3 Amal S Alkhamali,1 Ohud H Bahari,1 Raneem J AlJuhani,1 Mohammad Alsenaidy,4 Bander Balkhi1,2 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Pharmacoeconomics Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Microbiology Department, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Yazed AlRuthiaDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaTel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [e-mail]: Among the countries affected by Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Saudi Arabia was impacted the most, with 2,058 cases reported as of June 2019. However, the impact of the MERS epidemic on the Saudi economy is unknown.Purpose: The present study aimed to evaluate the direct medical costs associated with the management of MERS cases at a tertiary referral hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Methods: The study involved a retrospective chart review of confirmed cases of MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections in a tertiary care referral center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from January 2015 to October 2018. The collected data included sociodemographic characteristics, medical information, and the cost of hospitalization of each patient as estimated by micro-costing.Results: A complete set of relevant information was available only for 24 of 44 identified MERS-CoV cases. Patients were mostly females, and the mean age was 52 years. Diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease were the most frequent comorbidities. The length of hospital stay varied from 1 to 31 days, averaging 4.96 ± 7.29 days. Two of the 24 patients died. The total cost of managing a MERS case at the hospital ranged from $1278.41 to $75,987.95 with a mean cost of $12,947.03 ± $19,923.14.Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight the enormous expenses incurred by the Saudi health care system due to the MERS-CoV outbreak and the importance of developing an enforceable nationwide policy to control MERS-CoV transmission and infection.Keywords: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, costs and cost analysis, Saudi Arabia