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13th International AIDS ConferenceDurban, South Africa - July 9-July 14, 2000 |
Int Conf AIDS 2000 Jul 9-14; 13:(abstract no. TuOrC313)
Durand Zaleski I
I. Durand Zaleski, Hopital Henri-Mondor, 51, Avenue du Mal de Lattre de Tassigny, 94010 Creteil, France, Tel.: +33 149 813 674, Fax: +33 149 813 697, E-mail: isabelle.durand-zaleski@hmn.ap-hop-paris.fr
OBJECTIVE: Subcutaneous injections account for an increasing share of total needlestick injuries. The objective was to document the cost and costs savings related to the use of protective devices.
METHODS: We estimated the frequency of needlestick injuries attributable to subcutaneous injections from both published and French hospital consortium data and modeled a countrywide estimate. The total societal cost of managing a needlestick injury was assessed assuming that all the recommended procedures were followed. This theoretical cost was put in perspective with observed data (GERES study on post-exposure prophylaxis in 1998).
RESULTS: The total calculated societal cost of testing the source patient and health care worker, of prophylactics and workdays lost was assessed to be superior to USD 2,000. However, the large discrepancy between recommended and actual practice led to significant reductions in costs, mostly linked to the absence of sick-leaves and systematic prophylaxis.
CONCLUSION: The use of a safer device for subcutaneous injections e.g. for LMWH treatments, may result in cost-savings by avoiding the costs of needlestick injuries management. Although the costs avoided were shown to be lower in reality than in theory, our approach was conservative because, although we included the costs of HIV prophylaxis, we did not model the costs related to an actual infection. In addition, the medical benefits of reducing exposure to blood should be added to the potential costs-savings.
Copyright © 2000 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.
