OBJECTIVES To identify and quantify resource required and associated costs for implementing TNF-α inhibitor (TNFi) drug level and anti-drug antibody (ADAb) tests in UK rheumatology practice. METHODS A microcosting study, assuming the UK National Health Service perspective, identified the direct medical costs associated with providing TNFi drug level and ADAb testing in clinical practice. Reso...

The probability of nonoccupational exposure to phthalates is high given their use in a vast range of consumables, including personal care products (e.g., perfumes, lotions, cosmetics), paints, industrial plastics, and certain medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Phthalates are of high interest because of their potential for human exposure and because animal toxicity studies suggest that some ph...

Antibiotics account for a large part of all hospital pharmacy budgets, but the actual cost of their prescription is unknown. These costs include intravenous administration, labour, serum antibiotic assay, monitoring of haematological and biochemical indices, disposal of sharps and adverse effects. An in-house method of costing antibiotic therapy is presented, to quantify these hidden expenses. ...

BACKGROUND Current knowledge of the situation of anaesthesia in developing countries is limited. A survey of the status of education and research based on hospital records, records of the anaesthesia section, nursing records, personal observations as well as personal communication with staff, patients and hospital managers was carried out in a 1863-bed university teaching hospital located in th...

Background: In Iran, a combination of three methods of budget payment, fee for service and case-based payment (known as the global payment system) is used to reimburse the cost of hospital services. The aim of this study was to investigate the costs of 90 services of the Global Hospital Reimbursement System at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional app...

BACKGROUND Although End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is a disease of increasing epidemiological relevance very little is known about the cost of providing the respective dialysis services in Tanzania. This paper estimates the costs of dialysis for ESRD patients at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) in Tanzania in the year 2014. METHODS Cost calculations are based on the provider perspective and ...

CONTEXT A top-down evaluation of the costs of operating rooms (ORs) is not commonly done because it is relevant mostly in a publicly funded system. OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to determine the costs and utilization of ORs in a public hospital in Trinidad, West Indies, for two one-year periods using a top-down model. DESIGN Quantitative observational study.Main Outcome Measures: A "co...

OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the direct costs of pulmonary lobectomy hospitalization, comparing surgical techniques for the division of interlobar fissures: stapler (ST) versus electrocautery and hemostatic sealant patch (ES). METHODS The cost comparison analysis was based on the clinical pathway and drawn up by collecting the information available from the Thoracic Surgery Division medical...

BACKGROUND Results from recent costing studies have put into question potential Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) cost savings with the introduction of the PrePex device. METHODS We evaluated the cost drivers and the overall unit cost of VMMC for a variety of service delivery models providing either surgical VMMC or both PrePex and surgery using current program data in Zimbabwe and Z...