title: Healthcare utilization and lost productivity due to infectious gastroenteritis, results from a national cross-sectional survey Australia 2008-2009.
abstract: The aim of this study was to estimate the healthcare usage and loss of productivity due to gastroenteritis in Australia using the National Gastroenteritis Survey II. In 2008-2009, 7578 participants across Australia were surveyed about infectious gastroenteritis by telephone interview. A gastroenteritis case was defined as a person experiencing ⩾ 3 loose stools and/or ⩾ 2 vomits in a 24-h period, excluding cases with a non-infectious cause for their symptoms, such as pregnancy or consumption of alcohol. Lost productivity was considered any lost time from full- or part-time paid work due to having gastroenteritis or caring for someone with the illness. Interference with other daily activities was also examined along with predictors of healthcare-seeking practices using multivariable regression. Results were weighted to obtain nationally representative estimates using Stata v. 13·1. Of the 341 cases, 52 visited a doctor due to gastroenteritis, 126 reported taking at least one medication for their symptoms and 79 cases reported missing ⩾ 1 days' paid work due to gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis results in a total of 13·1 million (95% confidence interval 6·7-19·5) days of missed paid work each year in Australia. The indirect costs of gastroenteritis are significant, particularly from lost productivity.
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health,The Australian National University,Canberra,Australian Capital Territory (ACT),Australia.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health,The Australian National University,Canberra,Australian Capital Territory (ACT),Australia.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health,The Australian National University,Canberra,Australian Capital Territory (ACT),Australia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health,The Australian National University,Canberra,Australian Capital Territory (ACT),Australia.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dobbins
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health,The Australian National University,Canberra,Australian Capital Territory (ACT),Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014937:Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Australia; healthcare utilization; infectious gastroenteritis; lost productivity