Financial burden of burn injuries in iran: A report from the burn registry program Le coût du traitement des brûlures en iran: Un rapport du registre des brûlés

Abstract

Understanding the cost of burn treatment is very important for patients, their families, governmental authorities and insurance companies. It alleviates patient and familial stress, provides a framework for better use of resources, and facilitates better performance between burn centers. Hospital burn costs can provide a basis for authorities to budget for acute burn treatment, for further management of chronic complications, and for planning prevention and public educational programs in Iran. To identify costs we used data from our burn registry program. Over the two-year assessment period, we treated roughly 28,700 burn patients, 1,721 of whom were admitted, with a mortality rate of 5.9. The male to female ratio was 1.7:1 (63 male; 37 female). Flame burns were most frequent (49.8) followed by scalds (35.7). Mean hospital stay was 14.41 days (range 0-64 days). Mean TBSA was 17.39. Skin grafts were carried out in 65.4 of the patients, with a mean of 5.2 surgeries per patient. The total cost of all patient admissions over the two years was US 4,835,000. The maximum treatment cost for one patient was US 91,000. The mean cost per patient was US 2,810 (29,500,000 Rials). The mean cost for each percent of burn was US 162. The mean cost for a one-day stay in hospital was US 195. The mean cost of each operation was US 540. Patients who contracted infections endured longer hospital stays, meaning increased costs of US 195 per day. With comparable outcome and results, the cost of burn treatment in Iran is cheaper than in the US and Europe. © 2015, Mediterranean Club for Burns and Fire Disasters. All rights reserved