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Estimated costs of postoperative wound infections

A case-control study of marginal hospital and social security costs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

K. B. Poulsen ,
A. Bremmelgaard ,
A. I. Sørensen ,
D. Raahave  and
J. V. Petersen
K. B. Poulsen*
Affiliation:
The National Center for Hospital Hygiene, Statens Seruminstitut
A. Bremmelgaard
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Frederiksberg Hospital
A. I. Sørensen
Affiliation:
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Frederiksberg Hospital
D. Raahave
Affiliation:
Department of General Surgery, Frederiksberg Hospital
J. V. Petersen
Affiliation:
EDP-department, Frederiksberg Hospital
*
* Author responsible for Correspondence and reprints: Kjeld B. Poulsen, The National Center for Hospital Hygiene, Statens Seruminstitut, Artillerivej 5, DK-2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark.
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Summary

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A cohort of 4515 surgical patients in ten selected intervention groups was followed. Three hundred and seventeen developed postoperative wound infections, and 291 of these cases were matched 1:1 to controls by operation, sex and age. In comparison to the controls the cases stayed longer in hospital after the intervention and had more contact after discharge with the social security system.

Using data from a national sentinel reference database of the incidence of postoperative wound infections, and using national activity data, we established an empirical cost model based on the estimated marginal costs of hospital resources and social sick pay. It showed that the hospital resources spent on the ten groups, which represent half of the postoperative wound infections in Denmark, amounted to approximately 0·5% of the annual national hospital budget. This stratified model creates a better basis for selecting groups of operations which need priority in terms of preventive measures.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 113 , Issue 2 , October 1994 , pp. 283 - 295
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

References

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