title: Costs and length of stay of drug-related hospital admissions in cancer patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most previous studies of the incidence and economic impact of drug-related hospital admissions were not cancer specific, despite the fact that drug-related problems (DRPs) are of particular concern in oncology.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The goals of this study were to assess the economic impact, particularly the length of stay (LOS) and direct medical costs (DMC), of drug-related hospital admissions and the associated factors in cancer patients in Singapore.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was conducted over a 5-month period in 2 oncology wards at the largest acute tertiary hospital in Singapore. Drug-related admissions were identified from all oncology admissions to these wards, and the demographic, clinical, and cost data of these drug-related admissions were collected. The association between LOS and DMC as well as their associations with age, severity, and preventability of DRPs were examined. A nationwide estimation was made to determine the overall DMC of drug-related hospital admissions among cancer patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 151 drug-related admissions that occurred among 137 cancer patients were identified. The mean DMC (in Singapore dollars [SGD]) and LOS per drug-related admission were SGD $4747 and 6.1 days, respectively. A nationwide extrapolation estimated an annual total DMC of SGD $16.2 million. Longer LOS was found to be correlated with higher DMC (rs = 0.86, P < 0.001) and preventable DRPs (P = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Drug-related hospitalization among cancer patients is costly; therefore, more attention is warranted to develop and improve strategies for preventing drug-related morbidity and mortality in cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore. Electronic address: phakyn@nus.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore.
authors.forename: Yong-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Gwee
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore.
authors.forename: Yu-Chu
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Joen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore; Department of Pharmacy, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004180:Direct Service Costs; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012846:Singapore
keywords: cancer; costs; drug-related hospital admissions; length of stay