title: Burn care delivery in a sub-saharan african unit: A cost analysis study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are significant resource challenges to burn surgical care delivery in low and middle-income countries at baseline and only a few burn cost analysis studies from sub-Saharan Africa have been performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective database analysis of prospectively collected data from all patients recorded in the burn registry between June 2011 and August 2014 located at the Kamuzu Central Hospital Burn Unit in Lilongwe, Malawi. We utilized activity-based costing, a bottom-up cost analysis methodology with cost allocation that allows determination of unit cost or cost per service.
  
  
  RESULTS
  905 patients were admitted to the burn unit during the study period. The calculated total monthly burn expenditure for all cost centers was $11,622.66. Per day, the total unit cost was $387.42 with a mean daily per-patient cost of $24.26 (SD ± $6.44). Consequently, the mean cost per in-patient admission was $559.85 (SD ± $736.17). The mean daily cost per 1% total burn surface per patient at our center is $2.65 (SD ± $3.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This burn care cost analysis study helps quantify the relative contribution of differing cost centers that comprise burn care delivery and hospital costs in a sub-Saharan African setting. Accurate and relevant cost information on hospital services at the patient level is therefore fundamental for policy makers, payers, and hospitals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study has demonstrated that comprehensive burn care is possible at a cost much lower than found in other burn centers in low or middle-income countries and can be sustained with moderate funding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, CB# 7228, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Jared R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Gallaher
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mjuweni
authors.affiliation: North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center, Department of Surgery, University of North, Carolina School of Medicine, CB# 7600, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Cairns
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, CB# 7228, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Surgery, Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi; North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center, Department of Surgery, University of North, Carolina School of Medicine, CB# 7600, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Electronic address: anthchar@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Anthony G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Charles
mesh_terms: D002053:Burn Units / Q000191:economics*; D002056:Burns / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008295:Malawi; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Burn; Cost; Critical care; Global surgery; Trauma