The impact of injuries on health service resource use and costs in primary and secondary care in the English NHS

Christie, N.; Baines, D. L.; Coupland, C.; Beckett, K.; Sleney, J.; Kendrick, D.; Baines, Darrin; Coupland, Carol; Beckett, Kate; Sleney, Jude; Kellezi, Blerina; Christie, Nicola; Kendrick, Denise; Barnes, J.

Abstract

© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. Background: Injuries in working age adults are common, but few studies examine NHS resource use or costs. Methods: Costing study based on a cohort of 16- to 70-year olds admitted to hospital following unintentional injury in NHS Trusts in four UK centres. Participants completed resource-use questionnaires up to 12 months post-injury. Primary and secondary care, aids, adaptations, appliances and prescribed medications were costed. Mean costs by injury type and age group and costs per clinical commissioning group (CCG) were estimated. Results: A total of 668 adults participated. Follow-up rates ranged from 77% at 1 month to 65% at 12 months. The mean cost of injuries over 12 months was £4691 per participant. Costs were highest for hip fractures (£5159), lower limb fractures (£4969) and multiple injuries (£4969). Secondary care accounted for 87% of mean costs across all injuries and primary care for 10%. The mean cost per CCG was £7.3 million (range £1.8 million-£25.6 million). The total cost across all English CCGs was £1.53 billion. Conclusions: Unintentional injuries in working age adults result in high levels of NHS resource use and costs in the year following injury. Commissioning effective injury prevention interventions may reduce these costs.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 26, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Nov 26, 2015
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Apr 8, 2016
• Journal: Journal of Public Health (United Kingdom)
• Print ISSN: 1741-3842
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-3850
• Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 38
• Issue: 4
• Pages: e464-e471
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdv173
• Keywords: costs, primary care, secondary care, service use, unintentional injuries
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/905490
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdv173
• Related Public URLs: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26611819
• Contract Date: May 5, 2017