COST ANALYSIS OF ELDERLY PATIENTS ADMITTED TO THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AT A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN TURKEY

Abstract

Introduction: The cost of the intensive care unit for geriatric patients may be high because of their increased incidence of organ failure due to age, the associated need for multiple drug use and the need for supportive treatments. Our study aimed to contribute to the improvement of intensive care unit costs and the development of new care strategies for patients aged over 65 years in the intensive care unit. Materials and Method: Once we received ethics committee approval for the study, patients aged above 65 years admitted to the level 3 intensive care unit were divided into three groups. Reason for hospitalisation, duration of hospitalisation, disease severity scores, medication and additional costs and total cost of treatment in the intensive care unit were evaluated. Results: 43.5% (n=212) of a total of 487 patients treated were over 65 years of age. The mean age of the 212 geriatric patients was 76.66±7.4 years, and 20.03% of them were admitted to the intensive care unit after a sepsis diagnosis. A total of 22.64% of the patients were discharged to home, and 52.36% were discharged to wards. The average stay duration was 12.32±14.86 days, and the cost of treatment in the intensive care unit was 25,231 Turkish liras, including the drug cost of 4,769 liras. Conclusion: The rate of admission of geriatric patients to the intensive care unit has increased, but survival is still low. Health policies should be restructured to reduce hospitalisation costs for this fragile group.