Biomaterial Database

Hospital costs of nosocomial infections: a prospective three-month study in a community hospital. 1980

W E Scheckler

A prospective three-month study of the hospital costs associated with nosocomial infections was done in a 390-bed, 30-bassinet community-teaching hospital early in 1978. All hospital charges for diagnostic and therapeutic services required by nosocomial infections, and added length of stay due to the infections, were recorded. During the study period 123 infections occurred in 104 patients (a 2.7% incidence, considering the 4,485 patients discharged during this time). The average length of stay was prolonged 3.0 days for all nosocomial infections; this accounted for about half of the $636 average hospital charges for each nosocomial infection. The 65 nosocomial urinary tract infections prolonged the length of stay an average of 0.6 days and the total hospital charges were $146 for each infection, leading us to believe that the proportion of nosocomial infections at any given site may greatly alter the "average" cost of nosocomial infections. Our data from a community hospital show a shorter prolongation of length of stay and lower hospital costs when compared with the few other studies in the literature.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007902	Length of Stay	The period of confinement of a patient to a hospital or other health facility.	Hospital Stay,Hospital Stays,Stay Length,Stay Lengths,Stay, Hospital,Stays, Hospital
D011014	Pneumonia	Infection of the lung often accompanied by inflammation.	Experimental Lung Inflammation,Lobar Pneumonia,Lung Inflammation,Pneumonia, Lobar,Pneumonitis,Pulmonary Inflammation,Experimental Lung Inflammations,Inflammation, Experimental Lung,Inflammation, Lung,Inflammation, Pulmonary,Inflammations, Lung,Inflammations, Pulmonary,Lobar Pneumonias,Lung Inflammation, Experimental,Lung Inflammations,Lung Inflammations, Experimental,Pneumonias,Pneumonias, Lobar,Pneumonitides,Pulmonary Inflammations
D011446	Prospective Studies	Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group.	Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D003365	Costs and Cost Analysis	Absolute, comparative, or differential costs pertaining to services, institutions, resources, etc., or the analysis and study of these costs.	Affordability,Analysis, Cost,Cost,Cost Analysis,Cost Comparison,Cost Measures,Cost-Minimization Analysis,Costs and Cost Analyses,Costs, Cost Analysis,Pricing,Affordabilities,Analyses, Cost,Analyses, Cost-Minimization,Analysis, Cost-Minimization,Comparison, Cost,Comparisons, Cost,Cost Analyses,Cost Comparisons,Cost Measure,Cost Minimization Analysis,Cost, Cost Analysis,Cost-Minimization Analyses,Costs,Measure, Cost,Measures, Cost
D003428	Cross Infection	Any infection which a patient contracts in a health-care institution.	Hospital Infections,Nosocomial Infections,Health Care Associated Infection,Health Care Associated Infections,Healthcare Associated Infections,Infection, Cross,Infections, Hospital,Infections, Nosocomial,Cross Infections,Healthcare Associated Infection,Hospital Infection,Infection, Healthcare Associated,Infection, Hospital,Infection, Nosocomial,Infections, Cross,Infections, Healthcare Associated,Nosocomial Infection
D005249	Fees and Charges	Amounts charged to the patient as payer for health care services.	Charges,Charges and Fees,Fees,Charge,Fee
D006745	Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499	The number of beds from 300 to 499 which a hospital has been designed and constructed to contain. It may also refer to the number of beds set up and staffed for use.
D006764	Hospitals, Community	Institutions with permanent facilities and organized medical staff which provide the full range of hospital services primarily to a neighborhood area.	Community Hospital,Community Hospitals,Hospital, Community
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013530	Surgical Wound Infection	Infection occurring at the site of a surgical incision.	Postoperative Wound Infection,Infection, Postoperative Wound,Infection, Surgical Wound,Surgical Site Infection,Wound Infection, Postoperative,Wound Infection, Surgical,Infection, Surgical Site,Infections, Postoperative Wound,Infections, Surgical Site,Infections, Surgical Wound,Postoperative Wound Infections,Surgical Site Infections,Surgical Wound Infections,Wound Infections, Postoperative,Wound Infections, Surgical