Leopold Eberhart1, Tilo Koch1, Peter Kranke2, Dirk Rüsch1, Alexander Torossian1, Stefan Nardi-Hiebl3. 1. Department of Anesthesiology & Intensive Care Medicine, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany. 2. Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Würzburg, Würzburg. 3. Department of Anesthesiology & Intensive Care Medicine, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany; 5Med GmbH, Bad Abbach, Germany.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Nausea and/or vomiting (N/V) are frequent side effects of opioid drugs. These are of major concerns to patients and caregivers and only few studies have focused on their economical costs. DESIGN: This is a prospective, nonproduct-related, activity-based evaluation of personnel and material costs of opioid-related N/V among inpatients. SETTING: Data were obtained from surgical, general medicine, and palliative care wards at 16 German hospitals of different size, healthcare mandate, and ownership. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: According to predefined criteria, of 462 documented N/V events, 340 were diagnosed as opioid related. INTERVENTIONS: Elicited activities and pharmacological interventions for N/V episodes followed local standards. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Both materials used and the time engaged to treat patients with N/V were documented on an "ad hoc" activity recording form. The total cost of an opioid-related N/V episode was calculated based on standard wages of the involved personnel and standard costs of the inherent materials used. RESULTS: Mean staff tenure time for handling an episode of N/V was 26.2 ± 19.8 minutes (nausea 16.9 ± 28.7 minutes; nausea + vomiting: 33.4 ± 26.8 minutes). In the German context, this corresponds to average personnel costs of €18.06 ± 13.64. Material cost contributes to another €13.49 ±13.38 of costs mainly depending on acquisition costs of antiemetic drugs. CONCLUSIONS: N/V showed to have impact on workload of nurses and (to lesser extent) physicians and economic burden of €31 ± 22 for each N/V episode. In view of these results, the potential costs of strategies to minimize the incidence of N/V (use of antiemetics and/or the use of new analgesics) should be outweighed against the incurred costs of N/V.
OBJECTIVE:Nausea and/or vomiting (N/V) are frequent side effects of opioid drugs. These are of major concerns to patients and caregivers and only few studies have focused on their economical costs. DESIGN: This is a prospective, nonproduct-related, activity-based evaluation of personnel and material costs of opioid-related N/V among inpatients. SETTING: Data were obtained from surgical, general medicine, and palliative care wards at 16 German hospitals of different size, healthcare mandate, and ownership. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: According to predefined criteria, of 462 documented N/V events, 340 were diagnosed as opioid related. INTERVENTIONS: Elicited activities and pharmacological interventions for N/V episodes followed local standards. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Both materials used and the time engaged to treat patients with N/V were documented on an "ad hoc" activity recording form. The total cost of an opioid-related N/V episode was calculated based on standard wages of the involved personnel and standard costs of the inherent materials used. RESULTS: Mean staff tenure time for handling an episode of N/V was 26.2 ± 19.8 minutes (nausea 16.9 ± 28.7 minutes; nausea + vomiting: 33.4 ± 26.8 minutes). In the German context, this corresponds to average personnel costs of €18.06 ± 13.64. Material cost contributes to another €13.49 ±13.38 of costs mainly depending on acquisition costs of antiemetic drugs. CONCLUSIONS: N/V showed to have impact on workload of nurses and (to lesser extent) physicians and economic burden of €31 ± 22 for each N/V episode. In view of these results, the potential costs of strategies to minimize the incidence of N/V (use of antiemetics and/or the use of new analgesics) should be outweighed against the incurred costs of N/V.
Authors: Peter Kienbaum; Maximilian S Schaefer; Stephanie Weibel; Tobias Schlesinger; Patrick Meybohm; Leopold H Eberhart; Peter Kranke Journal: Anaesthesist Date: 2021-10-01 Impact factor: 1.041
Authors: Stephanie Weibel; Gerta Rücker; Leopold Hj Eberhart; Nathan L Pace; Hannah M Hartl; Olivia L Jordan; Debora Mayer; Manuel Riemer; Maximilian S Schaefer; Diana Raj; Insa Backhaus; Antonia Helf; Tobias Schlesinger; Peter Kienbaum; Peter Kranke Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2020-10-19