Abstract
Background: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)-bronchiolitis and it’s prophylaxis, is costly. Our literature search did not reveal studies performed on its cost-effectiveness in the Irish paediatric population.
Aims:
To measure the cost using chart-level data of RSV-bronchiolitis in a 7 year cohort;
To calculate the cost of broadening the inclusion criteria for prophylaxis.
Method: A Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE)-data analysis provided information on in-patient cases of diagnosed RSV-bronchiolitis from October 1999 to January 2007. Information was compiled in a data file, cleaned, coded and analyzed using SPSS version 14.0. Cost was calculated at per-bed-day rates on the premise that patients were subject to negligible costs of intervention.
Results: The total cost of RSV positive admissions during the period was €1,283,568.96, occupying 1276.38 bed days, with N = 181. Conclusion: Widening our criteria for prophylaxis will have substantial financial consequences.
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