Treatment cost of HIV/AIDS in Turkey
International Journal of Health Governance, cilt.25, sa.3, ss.259-269, 2020 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 25 Sayı: 3
- Basım Tarihi: 2020
- Doi Numarası: 10.1108/ijhg-01-2020-0003
- Dergi Adı: International Journal of Health Governance
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.259-269
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Healthcare-associated infections, Health economics, Public health, Emerging health economies, Quantitative research, Effectiveness
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate the average cost of treatment and investigate the related parameters of HIV/AIDS among patients based on their annual treatment regime during the 2017 in Izmir. Design/methodology/approach: The average annual direct cost of an HIV patient's treatment was estimated for 2017 at four university hospitals in a retrospective study in Izmir, Turkey. Inclusion criteria included confirmed HIV infection, age = 18 years, visited one of the hospitals at least three times a year and with at least one CD4+ T cell count. The average annual treatment cost per patient was calculated using accounting data for 527 patients from the hospitals' electronic databases. Findings: The mean treatment cost per patient was US$4,381.93. Costs for treatment and care were statistically significantly higher (US$5,970.55) for patients with CD4+ T cell counts of fewer than 200 cells/mm3 than for other patients with CD4+ T cell counts above 200 cells/mm3. The mean treatment cost for patients who were 50 years old or older (US$4,904.24) was statistically significantly higher than for those younger than 50 years (US$4,216.10). The mean treatment cost for female patients (US$4,624.92) was higher than that of male patients ($US4,339.72), although the difference was not statistically significant. The main cost driver was antiretroviral treatment (US$3,852.38 per patient), accounting for almost 88% of all costs. However, the high burden of antiretroviral treatment cost is counterbalanced by relatively low care and hospitalization costs in Turkey. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the literature by providing average annual treatment cost of an HIV-infected patient in Turkey by using a comprehensive bottom up approach. Moreover, cost drivers of HIV treatment are investigated.