Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Mar;12(2):232-240.
doi: 10.1111/irv.12521. Epub 2018 Jan 24.

Resource utilization and cost of influenza requiring hospitalization in Canadian adults: A study from the serious outcomes surveillance network of the Canadian Immunization Research Network

Carita Ng  1 , Lingyun Ye  2 , Stephen G Noorduyn  3 , Margaret Hux  1 , Edward Thommes  4 , Ron Goeree  5 , Ardith Ambrose  2 , Melissa K Andrew  2 , Todd Hatchette  2 , Guy Boivin  6 , William Bowie  7 , May ElSherif  2 , Karen Green  8 , Jennie Johnstone  5 , Kevin Katz  9 , Jason Leblanc  2 , Mark Loeb  5 , Donna MacKinnon-Cameron  2 , Anne McCarthy  10 , Janet McElhaney  11 , Allison McGeer  8 , Andre Poirier  12 , Jeff Powis  13 , David Richardson  14 , Rohita Sharma  3 , Makeda Semret  15 , Stephanie Smith  16 , Daniel Smyth  17 , Grant Stiver  7 , Sylvie Trottier  6 , Louis Valiquette  18 , Duncan Webster  19 , Shelly A McNeil  2 ; Serious Outcomes Surveillance Network of the Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN) Investigators; Toronto Invasive Bacterial Diseases Network (TIBDN) Investigators
Affiliations

Resource utilization and cost of influenza requiring hospitalization in Canadian adults: A study from the serious outcomes surveillance network of the Canadian Immunization Research Network

Carita Ng et al. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Consideration of cost determinants is crucial to inform delivery of public vaccination programs.

Objectives: To estimate the average total cost of laboratory-confirmed influenza requiring hospitalization in Canadians prior to, during, and 30 days following discharge. To analyze effects of patient/disease characteristics, treatment, and regional differences in costs.

Methods: Study utilized previously recorded clinical characteristics, resource use, and outcomes of laboratory-confirmed influenza patients admitted to hospitals in the Serious Outcomes Surveillance (SOS), Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN), from 2010/11 to 2012/13. Unit costs including hospital overheads were linked to inpatient/outpatient resource utilization before and after admissions.

Results: Dataset included 2943 adult admissions to 17 SOS Network hospitals and 24 Toronto Invasive Bacterial Disease Network hospitals. Mean age was 69.5 years. Average hospital stay was 10.8 days (95% CI: 10.3, 11.3), general ward stays were 9.4 days (95% CI: 9.0, 9.8), and ICU stays were 9.8 days (95% CI: 8.6, 11.1) for the 14% of patients admitted to the ICU. Average cost per case was $14 612 CAD (95% CI: $13 852, $15 372) including $133 (95% CI: $116, $150) for medical care prior to admission, $14 031 (95% CI: $13 295, $14 768) during initial hospital stay, $447 (95% CI: $271, $624) post-discharge, including readmission within 30 days.

Conclusion: The cost of laboratory-confirmed influenza was higher than previous estimates, driven mostly by length of stay and analyzing only laboratory-confirmed influenza cases. The true per-patient cost of influenza-related hospitalization has been underestimated, and prevention programs should be evaluated in this context.

Keywords: Canada; burden of illness; direct service costs; disease surveillance; hospital costs; human; influenza.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Public Health Agency of Canada . Canada Communicable Disease Report: Statement on seasonal influenza vaccine for 2012‐2013.2012. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/12vol38/acs-dcc-2/assets/p.... - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brady B, McAuley L, Shukla V Technology Report: Economic Evaluation of Zanamivir for the Treatment of Influenza. Ottawa: Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment. 2001 2001. 13.
    1. Public Health Agency of Canada . An Advisory Committee Statement (ACS) ‐ National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI); Statement on Seasonal Influenza Vaccine for 2015‐2016. 2016. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/naci-ccni/flu-2015-grippe-eng.php. Accessed June 15, 2016.
    1. Ontario Ministry of Health and Long‐Term Care . Ontario Case Costing Initiative (OCCI) 2011. 2013. 2013. http://www.occp.com/mainPage.htm. Accessed August 13, 2013.
    1. Canadian Institute for Health Information . The Cost of Hospital Stays: Why Costs Vary (Ottawa: CIHI). 2008 2008.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources