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
. 2020 Aug 31;20(1):813.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-020-05687-4.

Analysis of hospitalization expenses of 610 HIV/AIDS patients in Nantong, China

Xun Zhuang #  1 , Yujia Chen #  1   2 , Zunyou Wu  3 , Sarah Robbins Scott  3 , Renfei Lu  4 , Zhengcheng Xu  1 , Yuhui Yu  1 , Wei Wang  1 , Luyao Cao  1 , Yuanyuan Liang  1 , Gang Qin  5 , Meiyin Zou  6
Affiliations

Analysis of hospitalization expenses of 610 HIV/AIDS patients in Nantong, China

Xun Zhuang et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Background: The goal of this study was to describe the expenses related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) management and care in Nantong Infectious Disease Hospital from October 2013 through June 2017.

Methods: The information of 610 HIV/AIDS inpatients were collected from the Electronic Medical Record System of the hospital. Univariate and path analysis were employed to evaluate the association between hospitalization expense and its related factors.

Results: The average hospitalization expenses per person was 5454 RMB (Renminbi, the currency of China, about $808 USD) and 23,555 RMB (about $3489 USD), respectively for HIV/AIDS patients. The average length of hospital stay was 10.0 ± 5.5 days for HIV patients and 21.7 ± 12.4 days for AIDS patients. For HIV patients, laboratory test fees constituted 37.46% of total expenses; while drug fees accounted for the largest proportion for AIDS patients. Path analysis indicated that the length of hospital stay was the most important factor affecting total expenses (total path coefficient = 0.563 for HIV patients and 0.649 for AIDS patients). Total expenses for HIV-infected females was higher than that of males (total path coefficient = 0.217), and the more complications led to higher expenses for AIDS patients.

Conclusions: Though antiretroviral therapy (ART) is provided for free in China, associated medical care, particularly hospitalizations and fees, continue to drive up the medical costs of patients living with HIV and AIDS. Understanding the factors influencing these costs are crucial for determining policies and strategies that can reduce the economic burden of HIV/AIDS patients in China.

Keywords: AIDS; HIV; Hospitalization expense; Path analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Path chart of hospitalization expenses for HIV patients
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Path chart of hospitalization expenses for AIDS patients. The arrows represent the causal relationship, and the direction points to the result. The numbers are the path coefficient, which indicates the effect of the relevant variables on hospitalization expenses. Positive numbers indicate positive correlation and negative numbers indicate negative correlation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. UNAIDS . Global HIV & AIDS statistics — 2018 fact sheet. 2018.
    1. NCAIDS, NCSTD, CDC China Update on the AIDS/STD epidemic in China in December, 2017. Chin J AIDS STD. 2018;3:111.
    1. Wang L, Qin QQ, Ding ZW, Li PL, Hei FX, Wang LY, et al. Current case reporting of HIV/AIDS epidemic in China. Chin J AIDS STD. 2011;3:275–278.
    1. Li DS, Liu J, Wang Z. Advance of antiretroviral treatment as effective measures to prevent transmission HIV. Chin J AIDS STD. 2016;022(002):133–137.
    1. WHO. Burden of disease: what is it and why is it important for safer food? https://www.who.int/foodsafety/foodborne_disease/Q&A.pdf. Accessed 26 July 2019.