RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Long-term evaluation of seasonal out-of-pocket medical costs in patients with chronic respiratory disease based on a survey
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP P1388
VO 42
IS Suppl 57
A1 Ritsuko Wakabayashi
A1 Tomoko Kutsuzawa
A1 Kumiko Hattori
A1 Takeo Ishii
A1 Yuji Kusunoki
A1 Kouichi Yamada
A1 Akihiko Gemma
A1 Kozui Kida
YR 2013
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P1388.abstract
AB Background: Out-of-pocket medical costs (OPMC) hamper long-term self-management in patients with chronic respiratory disease (CRD), an economic burden for public medical insurance.Objectives: To evaluate the OPMC in patients with CRD and to determine if these costs show seasonal variations.Methods: A biannual questionnaire was sent to CRD patients that visited the Respiratory Care Clinic between 2005 and 2011 in summer and winter. The survey included questions on the number of common cold episodes, emergency hospital visits, and hospitalizations and the OPMC during each season.Results: A total of 6,021 completed questionnaires were received from 1,660 patients over 7 years. The mean age, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and FEV1% predicted were 64.9 years, 2.12 L, and 80.1%, respectively. The mean frequency of common cold episodes was 0.41 ± 1.02 in summer and 0.68 ± 1.24 in winter (p < 0.0001), and a similar trend was seen every year over 7 years. However, the number of emergency visits (0.53 ± 1.13) and hospitalizations (0.08 ± 0.31) and the average OPMC (€353.32 ± €946.33) did not differ according to season.Conclusion: Although common cold episodes were significantly more frequent in winter, OPMC were uniform throughout the year for patients with CRD. Thus, additional patient education with regard to minimising OPMC is required.