title: Economic burden of burn injuries in the Netherlands: A 3 months follow-up study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Burn care has rapidly improved in the past decades. However, healthcare innovations can be expensive, demanding careful choices on their implementation. Obtaining knowledge on the extent of the costs of burn injuries is an essential first step for economic evaluations within burn care. The objective of this study was to determine the economic burden of patients with burns admitted to a burn centre and to identify important cost categories until 3 months post-burn.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cohort study was conducted in the burn centre of Maasstad Hospital Rotterdam, the Netherlands, including all patients with acute burn related injuries from August 2011 until July 2012. Total costs were calculated from a societal perspective, until 3 months post injury. Subgroup analyses were performed to examine whether the mean total costs per patient differed by age, aetiology or percentage total body surface area (TBSA) burned.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our population, with a mean burn size of 8%, mean total costs were €26,540 per patient varying from €742 to €235,557. Most important cost categories were burn centre days (62%), surgical interventions (5%) and work absence (20%). Flame burns were significantly more costly than other types of burns, adult patients were significantly more costly than children and adolescents and a higher percentage TBSA burned also corresponded to significantly higher costs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mean total costs of burn care in the first 3 months post injury were estimated at €26,540 and depended on age, aetiology and TBSA. Mean total costs in our population probably apply to other high-income countries as well, although we should realise that patients with burn injuries are diverse and represent a broad range of total costs. To reduce costs of burn care, future intervention studies should focus on a timely wound healing, reducing length of stay and enabling an early return to work.
authors.affiliation: Association of Dutch Burn Centres, Maasstad Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, MOVE Research Institute, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M Jenda
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hop
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ben F M
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Wijnen
authors.affiliation: Association of Dutch Burn Centres, Martini Hospital, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marianne K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Nieuwenhuis
authors.affiliation: Burn Centre, Maasstad Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dokter
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, MOVE Research Institute, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Association of Dutch Burn Centres, Red Cross Hospital, Beverwijk, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Middelkoop
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Polinder
authors.affiliation: Association of Dutch Burn Centres, Maasstad Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Public Health, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: baarm@maasstadziekenhuis.nl.
authors.forename: Margriet E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: van Baar
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D001830:Body Surface Area; D002053:Burn Units / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002056:Burns / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D062707:Return to Work / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014945:Wound Healing
keywords: Burns; Cost of illness; Costs; Costs analysis