Search

Objective: To estimate the average treatment costs of pneumonia and meningitis among children under five years of age in a tertiary hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam from societal, health sector and household perspectives., Methods: We used a cost-of-illness approach to identify cost categories to be included for different perspectives. A prospective survey was conducted among eligible patients to get detailed personal costing items., Results: From the perspective of the health sector, the mean costs for treating a case of pneumonia and meningitis were USD 180 and USD 300, respectively. From the household's perspective, the average treatment costs were USD 272 for pneumonia and USD 534 for meningitis. When also including indirect costs, the average total treatment costs from the societal perspective were USD 318 for pneumonia and USD 727 for meningitis., Conclusion: The study contributed to limited evidence on the high treatment costs of pneumonia and meningitis to the Vietnamese society, which is useful for a cost-effectiveness analysis of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine or other relevant disease preventions. It also indicated a need to re-evaluate the health insurance policy for children under 6 years old, so that the unnecessarily high out-of-pocket costs of these diseases are reduced., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: (1) Determine the prevalence of overweight and high blood pressure (BP) among middle and high school students over a 2-year period and, (2) measure the cost and initial outcomes of screening., Design: Cost and outcome description using a cross-sectional design sample. The target population was 12- to 19-year-old healthy students attending grades 7 through 12 at 3 proximal schools located in a large urban school district in Texas., Results: Of 2,338 students screened, 925 (39.6%) had a body mass index (BMI)>or=85th percentile and 504 (21.6%) had BMIs>or=95th percentile for age and gender. There were 346 students (14.8%) with BMIs>or=85th percentile and systolic blood pressure (SBP)>or=95th percentile for age, gender, and height. The cost of the 2-year screening program was $66,442, and the cost per student was $28. The cost to identify a student with increased BMI or high SBP was $72 and $107, respectively., Conclusions: This study offered an objective framework to examine the cost and outcomes of screening children for overweight and increased BP. The study has implications for discussion and informed decision making about school-based screening for these conditions.

Public health nurses are increasingly called upon to justify the cost of care or to decide which of two alternative programs is more cost-effective. Cost studies can be complex and difficult to conduct, but an understanding of the basic techniques allows nurses to fully participate in planning, implementing, and evaluating programs that greatly impact the health of the community. This article defines some of the basic terms used in health economics, discusses standard methods of cost analysis, and provides an example of neonatal screening to illustrate methods of describing, measuring, and assigning a value to cost items.