A Cross-sectional Observational Study on Pharmacoeconomic Burden of Asthma in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Background: Asthma remains one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases. Even with significant advancement in the diagnosis and management of asthma, its control remains suboptimal. As the overall health expenditures are escalating, the healthcare community has become more sensitive to the concept of Pharmacoeconomic.

Objective: We aimed to assess the healthcare cost; economic burden associated with the management of asthma.

Methodology: A Prospective Observational Study was conducted in a Hospital of Vadodara, Gujarat, India with the sample of 120 patients. Patient’s data, financial data and the healthcare cost were collected while interviewing the patient. The healthcare costs included were direct medical cost, direct non-medical cost, and indirect cost.

Result: The average costs per asthmatic patient per month with severe, moderate and mild asthma were found to be USD 65.27, USD 50.89, and USD 48.85, respectively. The average overall cost with or without co-morbidity were calculated as USD 56 and USD 38, respectively. Out of USD 53.6, the average direct medical cost was USD 29.6, the average direct non-medical cost was USD 17.4, and the average total indirect cost was USD 6.6. The mean total cost for inpatient was calculated to be USD 105.12 and for outpatient it was USD 56.09. The 43% of the population had burden of illness less than 30% and 40% of the population had burden of illness between 60-80%. Only 6.6% of population had more than 80% of Pharmacoeconomic burden of asthma.

Conclusion: In our study, it was concluded that the patients with severe asthma and/or co-morbidity have higher treatment cost. Out of the overall cost, the maximum cost borne by the patient was the direct medical cost. The hospitalization increased the total health care cost by about 47%. The 43% of the population has less than 30% of burden of asthma while only 6.67% of population had more than 80% of burden of asthma.