Costo beneficio de los exámenes preoperatorios o de rutina realizados a los pacientes quirúrgicos del Hospital José Carrasco, Cuenca 2009

Abstract

The preoperative routine examines have been appealed due to an increase in health costs. In the United States from $3 to $11 million dollars are spend annually in routine examines. The majority of routine examines can be omitted, information about this topic in our country is limited and we cannot relay on evidence that justify the utility of routine examines; therefore it is recommended examines to be held in a directed manner and with clinical criterion.

A cross-sectional study was elaborated, its objective was to determine the frequency of unnecessary preoperative routine examines held to patients who were submitted to a surgical procedure and the beneficial cost of the same in the Jose Carrasco Arteaga Hospital during the year 2009.

Three hundred patients were studied, the majority (69%) were submitted to a major surgery, the frequency of complimentary studies inadequately requested was 32.3%, the possibility to request inadequate examines is greater in patients with minor surgeries (22.4%), the total cost was $4293 dollars and the impact of loss of institutional operational level cost above this number was 49.2% (-2.113 dollars), according to the analysis the ideal cost should not surpass the $2.180 dollars. If we extrapolating the costs of those that are situated outside the public sector the “real” costs surpass $9000 dollars.

Key Words: Preoperative routine examines; beneficial cost.