title: Management of skin tears and stage II skin ulcers with two topical regimens: a study of cost minimization.
abstract: A health-economic study of newly formed skin tears and stage II ulcers used an unblinded, comparative, parallel-group design to evaluate two topical regimens as to time required for complete healing and assessment of cost minimization. Thirty-six elderly patients, at risk for developing indolent wounds of the skin and underlying tissues, were assigned to receive either a saline spray and a topical antibiotic ointment (TAM, n = 14) or Dermagran Spray and Dermagran Ointment (DSO, n = 22). The 76 wounds that appeared in these patients had comparable pretreatment surface areas of 3.73 +/- 0.96 cm2 in the DSO group versus 5.57 +/- 1.13 cm2 in the TAM group (P = NS). All wounds were treated twice daily, starting within 24 hours of their appearance, until complete healing. The 19 wounds in the TAM group healed within 48.0 +/- 25.3 days versus 15.4 +/- 1.9 days for the 57 wounds in the DSO group (P < .05). The cost of wound management for a given patient was calculated by adding the costs of nursing labor and the amount of product consumed to effect complete healing. To this end, the cost of the TAM regimen was $323.23 +/- 171.70 versus $104.75 +/- 12.92 for the DSO regimen (P < .05). Results are presented in light of the increasing pressure on long-term care facilities to provide effective and affordable treatment.
authors.affiliation: Skilled Nursing Unit, Long Term Care Facility, Clarks Summit State Hospital, Pennsylvania 18411, USA.
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Villasin
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Vinson
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Igoe
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hendricks
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000293:injuries; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics / Q000473:pathology; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology