The estimated cost of surgically managed isolated traumatic head injury secondary to road traffic accidents

OBJECTIVE Traumatic brain injury due to road traffic accidents occurs mainly in the younger age group in which injury-related disability leads to long-term impact on employment and economic and social consequences across the lifespan. This study was designed to assign a monetary cost (in Malaysian ringgits [RM]) to the treatment of patients with surgically treated isolated traumatic head injury as determined up to 1 year after injury. METHODS Relevant resource items used were identified and valued using the direct measurement of costs method, cost accounting methods, standard unit costs method, fees, charges and/or market prices method. These values were then tabulated to generate the total costs for each patient, via a combination of macro-costing and micro-costing methods. Malaysian currency values were converted to US dollars according to the average conversion rate for the period from January to May 2016: RM1 = US$0.2452. RESULTS This costing study analyzed data from 49 patients. The estimated cost for the 1st year of care for all patients was RM1,471,919.80 (US$360,914.735), with a mean (± SD) cost per case of RM30,039.18 ± 22,986.25 or $7365.61 ± $5636.23. The mean cost of care per case was RM11,041.35 ± 10,936.88 or $2707.34 ± $2681.72 for mild head injury, RM32,550.00 ± 20,998.76 or $7981.26 ± $5148.90 for moderate head injury, and RM36,917.86 ± 23,697.34 or $9052.26 ± $5810.59 for severe head injury. Severe head injury (p = 0.001), sustaining 2 or more intracranial pathologies (p = 0.01), having a poor Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score (GOS score 1-3) (p = 0.02), requiring a tracheostomy (p < 0.001), and contracting pneumonia (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with higher cost. Logistic regression analysis revealed that cost of care increased by RM591.60 or $145.06 per year increment of age (β = RM591.60, p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The mean cost of treatment for traumatic head injury is high compared to the per capita income of RM37,900 in 2016. The cost values generated in this study provide baseline cost estimates that the authors hope will be used as a guide to determine where adequate funding should be allocated to provide timely and appropriate delivery of care.