Objective To analyze the costs of emergency medication in the West China Hospital within one month after Lushan earthquake based on actual medication of the victims’ disease spectrum.
Methods We collected emergency medication data as evaluation index in the West China Hospital within one month after Lushan earthquake, including daily cost, cumulative percentage of pharmacology category, average cost per day/person, average cost per day/person when DUI=1, difference between average cost per day /person, and average cost per day/person when DUI=1, etc. Then, we input data using Excel software for statistically analyzing the costs of emergency medication within one month after the earthquake.
Results During one month after the earthquake, the costs changed consistently with the number of victims, which implied the change of costs was rational. Injuries were classified into 6 categories and 12 kinds according to ICD-10. The costs of medication accounted for 71% of the total costs. Six kinds of illness accounted for 21%. Medication for injuries was classified into 3 categories and 18 kinds; average cost per day was 186.87 yuan and average cost per person was 1 702.70 yuan. Medication for illness was classified into 5 categories and 28 kinds; average cost per day was 38.96 yuan and average cost per person was 185.13 yuan. The mean value of average cost per day/person of injection was 14.52/5.08 times more than that of non-injection. Meanwhile, the mean value of average cost per day/person of imported medication was 7.10/5.28 times more than that of domestic medication.
Conclusion The factors that impact the medication costs include: a) disease burden and traumatic conditions of the sick and wound; b) administration pathway (injection vs. non-injection); c) imported or domestic medication; and d) the rationality of taking DUI as evaluation index. When DUI gt;1, injection through the vein and imported medication take a larger share which increase the costs of medication. Emergency rescue package should mainly prepare for the injury. In order to ensure the timely, safe and effective medication, injection should be given priority to. We also should take into consideration crash-resistance/anti-quake package, reasonable dosage, convenience-to-use of drugs as well as the needs of the illness.
Citation： JIN Zhaohui,XU Ting,LI Youping,GU Jinjian,WANG Miye,WU Bin,LU Jing. Costs of Emergency Medication in West China Hospital within One Month after Lushan Earthquake. Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 2013, 13(10): 1149-1154. doi: 10.7507/1672-2531.20130196 Copy