Calculation of Direct Medical Costs and Indirect Costs in Patients with Covid-19 Hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit in Golestan Province

Healthcare policymakers and planners use the economic burden of the disease to determine the total cost of an outcome, illness, or accident imposed on the country. The aim of this study was to calculate the direct and indirect medical costs in Covid-19 patients with critical conditions hospitalized in the intensive care unit in Golestan province.

This descriptive-analytical study was a partial economic evaluation performed cross-sectionally, and included all hospitalized patients with critical conditions in the first 6 months of 2020 in a public hospital in the Covid-19 center (158 patients).The required data were collected from patients' records by the hospital information system. Data analysis and calculation of direct medical and indirect costs of the disease in this research study was carried out based on the incidence approach and bottom-up method from the perspective of the society.

The average direct medical cost per hospitalized patient in a critical condition was 214,926,500 rials. Hospitalization and pharmaceutical services accounted for the largest share of the costs. The average indirect cost for each patient in a critical condition was estimated at 959,577,714 rials.

The results of the study showed a huge economic burden of Covid-19 on society and the health system. The high prevalence of this disease has imposed huge economic damages on society and the country's health system.