Abstract

Introduction and objectives: With the aim of making informed decisions on resource allocation, there is a critical need for studies that provide accurate information on hospital costs for treating pediatric asthma exacerbations, mainly in middle-income countries (MICs). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the direct medical costs associated with pediatric asthma exacerbations requiring hospital attendance in Bogota, Colombia. Patients and methods: We reviewed the available electronic medical records (EMRs) for all pediatric patients who were admitted to the Fundacion Hospital de La Misericordia with a discharge principal diagnosis pediatric asthma exacerbation over a 24-month period from January 2016 to December 2017. Direct medical costs of pediatric asthma exacerbations were retrospectively collected by dividing the patients into four groups: those admitted to the emergency department (ED) only; those admitted to the pediatric ward (PW); those admitted to the pediatric intermediate care unit (PIMC); and those admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Results: A total of 252 patients with a median (IQR) age of 5.0 (3.0–7.0) years were analyzed, of whom 142 (56.3%) were males. Overall, the median (IQR) cost of patients treated in the ED, PW, PIMC, and PICU was US$38.8 (21.1–64.1) vs. US$260.5 (113.7–567.4) vs. 1212.4 (717.6–1609.6) vs. 2501.8 (1771.6–3405.0), respectively: this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The present study helps to further our understanding of the economic burden of pediatric asthma exacerbations requiring hospital attendance among pediatric patients in a MIC.