Cost of anaesthesia at the University of Nairobi dental hospital theatre

Abstract

Background: In this era of cost containment it has become increasingly important for the physician to be aware of the costs of various components of health care. The cost of anaesthetic care is of considerable interest. Many operating theatre management systems have no information about the cost of providing general anaesthesia. Accurate cost estimation is required for economic evaluation and inter-patient variation in resource use and needs to be known. This report presents information about the cost of anaesthesia at the University of Nairobi Dental Hospital theatre. Objective: To determine the costs of materials and medicaments necessary for the administration of general anaesthesia for surgical procedures at the Universityof Nairobi Dental Hospital operating theatre. Study site: University of Nairobi Dental Hospital theatre, a teaching facility. Study Design: A prospective cross-sectional study of the VarIOUS components involved in the successful delivery of general anaesthesia to 49 patients during the period of January to April 2007 was analysed. This included drugs, inhalation anaesthetics, intravenous fluids, blood, re-usable and disposable items, salaries of staff and the costs of purchasing and maintaining anesthetic equipment. Results: The average cost of anaesthesia per patient was KSh. 9,172.43 (USD 131.03). The cost per hour was KSh. 3056.44 (USD 43.66). The staff costs were the highest at an average KSh. 4343.40 (USD 62.05) per patient followed by the cost of anaesthetic drugs (KSh. 2004.42 (USD 28.63) per patient. Tumours and growths constituted the most common diagnosis with 22 (44.0%) cases. Resection and/or eXCISIOnwere the most frequent operations done 17 (34.7%). All the operations done were elective. Conclusion. There is a significant difference between the actual cost of anaesthesia and what the patient is charged. The method of charging patients should be adjusted to reflect the actual cost of providing anaesthesia.