Economic Burden of Drug Use in Patients with Acute Burns: Experience in a Developing Country

• Published in: Journal of Tropical Medicine
• Main Authors: Kolawole Olubunmi Ogundipe, Ismaila Abiona Adigun, Babatunde Akeeb Solagberu
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2009
• Subjects: Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1155/2009/734712; https://doaj.org/article/a95a6009565a4cc59b6e2702bf2bed3f

Background/Objective. Burn injury is a devastating injury. The economic drain on the patient's purse is equally devastating. Few studies have examined the cost of managing burn patients particularly the drug component. Methods. The financial implication of drug use in the management of 69 consecutive patients admitted by the burn unit over a period of two years was retrospectively analysed. Results. Thirty-six (52.2%) patients were males and 33 (47.8%) females with a mean age of 17.9 years (SD=18.4). The patients spent an average sum of $91.21 to procure drugs; 84.3% of the costs were for antibiotics, 11.1% for analgesics, and 4.6% for others. Conclusion. Significant amount of money is spent on the procurement of drugs. Most of the money is spent on prescribed antibiotics. Measures that reduce antibiotics use in burn management might relief patients of the huge economic burden associated with its use.