Investigating the Direct Non-Medical and Indirect Costs Incurred by Hospitalized Patients Infected with COVID-19 Omicron Variant: A Cross-Sectional Study

 Health systems are responsible for providing healthcare services for all people in a community with reasonable costs. The primary objective was to evaluate and minimize the various expenses the patients incur consistently. The current study aimed to examine the direct non-medical and indirect expenses incurred to hospitalized patients infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in February 2022 at Kosar Hospital in Semnan, Iran to investigate 400 hospitalized patients infected with the COVID-19 Omicron variant. The data were collected using a standardized instrument and conducting interviews with the patient. The descriptive findings were presented as frequencies (percentages) for qualitative variables and as means (standard deviations) for quantitative variables. The statistical relationship between demographic and background variables and the types of costs imposed on patients was examined performing T-test, ANOVA, and Tukey's post hoc test.

The study findings revealed that the patients and their families spent 20,260,000 IRR on direct non-medical treatment and 28,300,000 IRR on indirect treatment. A comprehensive statistical analysis was conducted to examine the correlation between demographic and background variables and the types of the costs incurred by patients and their families. The results indicated that a previous lung disease, asthma, diabetes, an admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), a coma in the patient, and COVID-19-induced heart complications were statistically and significantly associated with the direct non-medical costs. Furthermore, it was found that variables such as age, gender, educational status, employment status, engagement in occupational and physical activities, as well as the occurrence of a coma imposed additional indirect costs on the patients and their families (P<0.05).

In sum, an infection with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 placed a substantial financial burden on the individuals and their households. Various factors may have influenced the magnitude of these expenses; therefore, it was recommended that these factors should be considered when implementing the promotional initiatives.