Comparison of the Treatment Cost of COVID-19 and Non COVID-19 Patients in the Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to compare the cost of treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and non-COVID-19 patients in our intensive care unit (ICU). Materials and Methods: Patient data such as age, gender, comorbidities, radiological findings, treatments received, length of stay in the ICU, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result, and invoice issued at the time of discharge were recorded. The patients were divided into two groups, including patients being treated for COVID-19 (Group 1) and those being treated for other diseases (non-COVID-19) (Group 2). The chi-square test (χ2) was used to compare categorical variables. Continuous variables were compared using the Mann–Whitney U test. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to determine the correlation between treatment cost and variables. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A positive moderate statistically significant correlation was found between treatment cost and length of stay in the ICU (r=0.68;p<0.001). Conclusion: The present study showed that the treatment cost increases with a prolonged length of stay in the ICU. In addition, it was shown that it is more expensive to treat COVID-19 patients.