title: Implications of patient-borne costs associated with pediatric neurosurgical care in eastern Africa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE Pediatric neurosurgery can be highly cost-effective even in the developing world, but delivery of these services is hampered by resource limitations at the levels of both health care infrastructure and individual patients. Few studies have evaluated costs borne by neurosurgical patients in the developing world and their potential implications for efficient and effective delivery of care in this population. METHODS The families of 40 pediatric neurosurgery patients were surveyed in February 2015 at the AIC Kijabe Hospital in Kijabe, Kenya. Costs associated with obtaining inpatient care were assessed. RESULTS Patient families were charged an average of US $539.44 for neurosurgical services, representing 132% of their annual income. Indirect expenses (transport, food and lodging, lost wages) constituted US $79.37, representing 14.7% of the overall cost and 19.5% of their annual income. CONCLUSIONS Expansion of pediatric neurosurgical services throughout the developing world necessitates increased attention to seemingly insignificant expenses that are absorbed by patients and their families. Even when all direct costs are covered at the institutional or national level, without additional assistance, some patients may be too poor to obtain even "free" neurosurgical care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and.|School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan;
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Awori
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strahle
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, AIC Kijabe Hospital, Kijabe, Kenya; and.
authors.forename: Humphrey
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okechi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000351:Africa, Eastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D005791:Patient Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends
keywords: CPC = choroid plexus coagulation; ETV = endoscopic third ventriculostomy; EVD = external ventricular drain; NHIF = National Health Insurance Fund; VP = ventriculoperitoneal; global health; pediatric neurosurgery; socioeconomic