Kostnader ved sykehusinfeksjoner : et bedriftsøkonomisk perspektiv på kostnadene av sykehusinfeksjoner etter innsettelse av totalhofteprotese

Abstract

About 500,000 people are admitted to Norwegian hospitals every year. According to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 4.1% of these patients get a hospital infection during their stay. Hospital infections are among the leading causes of deaths in Norwegian hospitals and may cause severe trauma to the patient. Several international studies claim that hospital infections result in high costs for hospitals. This dissertation focuses on the financial consequences of hospital infections and addresses the following issue: "What is the cost of a hospital infection for Norwegian hospitals?" In the present study, we have focused on postoperative infections that occur after the insertion of the total hip prosthesis as approximately 10,000 Norwegians undergo such an intervention every year. We have interviewed health professionals to map the course of treatment, to identify activities and resources at Norwegian hospitals. In order to estimate cost due to this type of infection, we have used time-driven ABC cost calculation. Our results show that a hospital infection after the insertion of a total hip prosthesis costs on an average 73,052 NOK per patient, which represents a cost of 27 million NOK for Norwegian hospitals during the year 2018. This estimate gives an indication to the relevant costs but due to uncertainties in the cost estimate it may not give a complete picture of all the costs. An assessment must therefore be made of the relevance of cost estimates, and economists with their insight into the field of expertise will be able to contribute with such a subjective assessment.