Analyzing the Cost of Care for Burn Injuries and Its Determinants in a University Hospital for Accidents and Burns ‎

Introduction: Providing care for burn patients is one of the most expensive parts of health care. Acquiring knowledge in this field is the first necessary step for the economic evaluation of the care of patients with burns. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between treatment costs and the etiology of burn patients in Taleghani Hospital for Accidents and Burns in Ahvaz. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive-analytic study conducted at Taleghani Hospital for Accidents and Burns in Ahvaz in 2017. This retrospective study was designed based on the data available in patients' records. Two hundred and sixty two records were selected based on stratified random sampling. The study tool was a researcher-made checklist, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean and standard deviation, along with t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient and regression. Results: The average cost per patient was 97942891 Rials. There was a significant relationship between the patient's age and treatment costs (P = 0.009 and r = 0.161). The average cost of treating patients with second-degree burns (41186194 Rials) was significantly different from that of third-degree burns (171627024 Rials) (P = 0.000 and t(120.990) = 7.158). There was a direct and significant relationship between treatment costs and length of stay (P = 0.000 and r = 0.874). Conclusion: The results of this study can be of help to hospital managers and policymakers as well as health planners to analyze and control the costs of burn patients. Improving the quality of services, reviewing the care process, implementing treatment protocols, and paying attention to clinical guidelines and timely discharge of the patient can have an impact on reducing the length of stay and the cost of treatment.

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