A cost-analysis study to estimate the expenditure incurred by heroin-dependent patients before and after availing treatment for substance use disorder at an apex drug de-addiction center
A cost-analysis study to estimate the expenditure incurred by heroin-dependent patients before and after availing treatment for substance use disorder at an apex drug de-addiction center
Blog Article
Introduction: Cost-analysis can help hospital administrators and policy-makers to determine how well their institution meets this public need.As financial management technique, cost-analysis helps to furnish the necessary data for making more informed decision on operations and infrastructure investments.Keeping this in mind, a study to estimate the cost spent by heroin-dependent patients before and after availing treatment for substance use disorder in a defined study population here was conducted in National Drug Dependence Treatment Center (NDDTC), Ghaziabad.Methodology: A descriptive observational study conducted in outpatient department (OPD) of NDDTC on Male, heroin-dependent patients seeking treatment from NDDTC OPD, Ghaziabad.
Results: The median of total expenditure incurred by patients on substance use (considering procurement of substance, transport, and lost productivity) before coming to treatment was Rs.527/day.The median of total expenditure incurred by patients after initiating treatment at NDDTC (considering continued substance, transport to NDDTC, lost productivity, and purchasing medicines from outside) was Rs.34/day.
Thus, amount saved by the patients after starting treatment was Rs.492.62/day.Even after considering the expenses incurred by the NDDTC in treatment, amount saved is Rs.
445.04/day.Conclusion: This study successfully demonstrated that even after adding the expenditure by the NDDTC to the expenditure by the 730 sunken lake road patients on the treatment, treatment at NDDTC does result in a considerable reduction of overall costs.This is an indirect pointer towards cost-benefit of drug treatment.