Health Human Resources Research Center, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Emergency Medicine Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
BMC Psychiatry. 2022 Aug 30;22(1):577. doi: 10.1186/s12888-022-04220-7.
Depression disorders are a leading cause of disability in the world which imposes a significant economic burden on patients and societies The present study aimed to determine the economic burden of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) on the patients referred to the reference psychiatric single-specialty hospitals in southern Iran in 2020.
This cross-sectional research is a partial economic evaluation and a cost-of-illness study conducted in southern Iran in 2020. A total of 563 patients were enrolled through the census method, and a researcher-made data collection form was used to gather the required information. The prevalence-based and the bottom-up approaches were also used to collect the cost information and calculate the costs, respectively. The data on direct medical, direct non-medical, and indirect costs were obtained using the information in the patients' medical records and insurance bills as well as their self-reports or those of their companions. To calculate the indirect costs, the human capital approach was used as well.
The results showed that the annual cost of MDD was $ 2717.41 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) (USD 2026.13) per patient in 2020. Direct medical costs accounted for the largest share of the costs (73.68%), of which hoteling and regular beds expenses were the highest (57.70% of the total direct medical costs). The shares of direct non-medical and indirect costs were 7.52 and 18.80%, respectively, and the economic burden of the disease in the country was estimated at $7,120,456,596 PPP (USD 5,309,088,699).
In general, due to the high prevalence of MDD and the chronicity of the disease, the costs of its treatment can impose a heavy economic burden on the society, healthcare system, insurance system, and the patients themselves. Therefore, it is suggested that health policymakers and managers should take appropriate measures to increase the basic and supplemental insurance coverage of these patients. In addition, in order to reduce the costs, proper and equitable distribution of psychiatrists and psychiatric beds, expansion of home care services, and use of Internet-based technologies and the cyberspace to follow up the treatment of these patients are recommended.
抑郁症是全球导致残疾的主要原因之一，给患者和社会带来了巨大的经济负担。本研究旨在确定 2020 年伊朗南部参考精神病专科医院就诊的重度抑郁症（MDD）患者的经济负担。
这是一项横断面研究，是 2020 年在伊朗南部进行的部分经济学评估和疾病成本研究。通过普查方法共纳入 563 名患者，使用研究者自制的数据收集表收集所需信息。同时采用基于患病率的方法和自下而上的方法收集成本信息并计算成本。直接医疗、直接非医疗和间接成本的数据是通过患者病历和保险账单中的信息以及他们自己或同伴的报告获得的。为了计算间接成本，采用了人力资本法。
结果显示，2020 年每位 MDD 患者的年费用为 2717.41 美元（购买力平价为 2026.13 美元）。直接医疗费用占成本的最大份额（73.68%），其中酒店和普通床位费用最高（占总直接医疗费用的 57.70%）。直接非医疗和间接费用的份额分别为 7.52%和 18.80%，该疾病在该国的经济负担估计为 7120456596 美元（5309088699 美元）。
总的来说，由于 MDD 的高患病率和疾病的慢性化，其治疗费用可能给社会、医疗保健系统、保险系统和患者自身带来沉重的经济负担。因此，建议卫生政策制定者和管理者采取适当措施，增加这些患者的基本和补充保险覆盖范围。此外，为了降低成本，建议合理公平地分配精神科医生和精神科床位，扩大家庭护理服务，并利用互联网技术和网络空间来跟进这些患者的治疗。
