Department of Economic Analysis and Finances, University of Castilla la Mancha, Toledo, Spain.
Eur J Health Econ. 2010 Aug;11(4):405-12. doi: 10.1007/s10198-009-0212-z. Epub 2010 Jan 5.
The aims of this study were to estimate medical expenditures on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment and to identify significant associated variables. We performed a retrospective multi-centre study in the Canary Islands using a sample of 569 patients recruited at outpatient visits. The study examined demographic and clinical variables, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and health care resources. Clinical data was obtained from medical records and patient interviews. Several empirical models for identifying the relationship between health care costs and independent variables were developed. The greatest expense came from pharmaceutical expenditure (82.1% of direct costs), while hospital costs only represented 4.6% of total expenditure. The data showed a statistically significant association between health care costs and the CD4 count of the previous year. HRQOL was also a significant variable. Therefore, CD4 cell count can be used to predict health care costs in patients. Policymakers could use this information to help guide their decisions in allocating limited health care resources to HIV treatments.
本研究旨在估算治疗人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）的医疗支出，并确定显著相关的变量。我们在加那利群岛进行了一项回顾性多中心研究，使用了在门诊就诊时招募的 569 名患者的样本。该研究检查了人口统计学和临床变量、与健康相关的生活质量（HRQOL）和医疗资源。临床数据来自病历和患者访谈。为了确定医疗保健费用与自变量之间的关系，开发了几种经验模型。最大的支出来自药品支出（直接费用的 82.1%），而医院费用仅占总支出的 4.6%。数据显示，医疗保健费用与前一年的 CD4 计数之间存在统计学上的显著关联。HRQOL 也是一个显著的变量。因此，CD4 细胞计数可用于预测患者的医疗保健费用。政策制定者可以利用这些信息来帮助指导他们在分配有限的医疗保健资源用于 HIV 治疗方面的决策。
