Injuries and their related household costs in a tertiary hospital in Ghana

Paa Kwesi Blankson, Justice Nonvignon, Genevieve Aryeetey, Moses Aikins

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Introduction: Injuries remain a leading cause of death in many developing countries, accounting for more deaths than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. This study set out to determine the associated patient costs of reported injury cases at the Accident and Emergency Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Accra, Ghana. Method: A cross-sectional retrospective Cost-of-Illness study of 301 sampled patients was undertaken, following a review of injured patients' records from January–December 2016. Direct cost, (consisting of consultation, surgery, medicines, transportation, property damage, food and consumables) was estimated. Indirect cost was calculated using the Human capital approach. Intangible cost was assessed using Likert scale analysis. The overall household cost, average cost of various injuries and intangible costs were determined. Results: The total annual household cost of injuries to patients who attended KBTH was US$11,327,461.96, of which 82% was the direct cost. The average household cost of injuries was US$ 1276.15. All injuries recorded some level of high intangible cost but was exceptional for burns. Conclusion: Injured patients incur high direct treatment cost in all aetiology, with generally high intangible cost as well. It is therefore imperative that injury prevention strategies be prioritized in national health policies, while broader discussions continue on sustainable health financing of injury management.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)S44-S49
JournalAfrican Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2020

Keywords

  • Direct cost
  • Economic
  • Ghana
  • Household
  • Indirect cost
  • Injuries
  • Intangible cost

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Injuries and their related household costs in a tertiary hospital in Ghana'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this