Table_1_Hospitalization Costs of COVID-19 Cases and Their Associated Factors in Guangdong, China: A Cross-Sectional Study.DOCX

Background: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant challenges to health system and consumed a lot of health resources. However, evidence on the hospitalization costs and their associated factors in COVID-19 cases is scarce.
Objectives: To describe the total and components of hospitalization costs of COVID-19 cases, and investigate the associated factors of costs.
Methods: We included 876 confirmed COVID-19 cases admitted to 33 designated hospitals from January 15th to April 27th, 2020 in Guangdong, China, and collected their demographic and clinical information. A multiple linear regression model was performed to estimate the associations of hospitalization costs with potential associated factors.
Results: The median of total hospitalization costs of COVID-19 cases was $2,869.4 (IQR: $3,916.8). We found higher total costs in male (% difference: 29.7, 95% CI: 15.5, 45.6) than in female cases, in older cases than in younger ones, in severe cases (% difference: 344.8, 95% CI: 222.5, 513.6) than in mild ones, in cases with clinical aggravation than those without, in cases with clinical symptoms (% difference: 47.7, 95% CI: 26.2, 72.9) than those without, and in cases with comorbidities (% difference: 21.1%, 21.1, 95% CI: 4.4, 40.6) than those without. We also found lower non-pharmacologic therapy costs in cases treated with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy (% difference: −47.4, 95% CI: −64.5 to −22.0) than cases without.
Conclusion: The hospitalization costs of COVID-19 cases in Guangdong were comparable to the national level. Factors associated with higher hospitalization costs included sex, older age, clinical severity and aggravation, clinical symptoms and comorbidities at admission. TCM therapy was found to be associated with lower costs for some non-pharmacologic therapies.

研究背景：当前的新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）疫情给医疗卫生系统带来了严峻挑战，消耗了大量医疗资源。然而，目前关于新型冠状病毒肺炎患者住院费用及其影响因素的相关研究证据仍较为匮乏。
研究目的：阐明新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）患者的住院总费用及其构成，并探讨住院费用的相关影响因素。
研究方法：本研究纳入了2020年1月15日至4月27日期间，中国广东省33家定点医院收治的876例确诊新型冠状病毒肺炎患者，收集其人口学与临床信息。采用多重线性回归模型分析住院费用与潜在影响因素之间的关联。
研究结果：新型冠状病毒肺炎患者的住院总费用中位数为2869.4美元（四分位数间距IQR：3916.8美元）。分析显示，男性患者的住院总费用较女性患者高（差异百分比：29.7%，95%置信区间CI：15.5~45.6）；老年患者的住院费用高于年轻患者；重症患者较轻症患者高（差异百分比：344.8%，95%CI：222.5~513.6）；出现病情恶化的患者较未出现病情恶化者更高；存在临床症状的患者较无临床症状者更高（差异百分比：47.7%，95%CI：26.2~72.9）；合并基础疾病的患者较无合并症者更高（差异百分比：21.1%，95%CI：4.4~40.6）。此外，接受中医药（TCM）治疗的患者，其非药物治疗费用较未接受中医药治疗者更低（差异百分比：-47.4%，95%CI：-64.5~-22.0）。
研究结论：广东省新型冠状病毒肺炎患者的住院费用与全国平均水平基本相当。与住院费用升高相关的因素包括性别、年龄、临床病情严重程度与恶化情况、入院时存在的临床症状及合并症。中医药治疗可降低部分非药物治疗相关费用。