Economic burden in management of acute lower respiratory infection, patients' perspective: a case study of Takhli District Hospital.

A cross-sectional descriptive study to determine the economic burden in management of acute lower respiratory infection from the patient's perspective was conducted at Takhli District Hospital from March 2000 to February 2001. Information obtained from interviewing caretakers of 165 children with LRI and data collected from medical records revealed the cost per case ranged from 140 to 6,471 baht with an average total cost per case of 1248 baht. The main determinants of the average total cost per case included the diagnosis of diseases, type of patient (outpatient or inpatient), wheezing association and respiratory syncytial virus positivity. Children with severe pneumonia accounted for the highest in the average total cost per case (2,348 baht) while those with bronchitis accounted for the lowest (924 baht). The average total cost per case of inpatients was 3.5 times higher than that of outpatients. Health policy efforts to improve the effectiveness of care in an ambulatory setting may reduce the financial cost of the illness.