Prescription and the cost of laboratory tests for patients admitted to two hospitals of Kashan University of Medical Sciences in the Covid 19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective (s): Laboratory tests, despite their essential role in the diagnosis and management of many diseases, are often costly. Therefore, this study investigated the prescription and the cost of tests for patients admitted to two hospitals of Kashan University of Medical Sciences in the Covid 19 pandemic. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on a sample of patients with Covid-19 that admitted to two hospitals of Kashan University of Medical Sciences (a teaching hospital and a general hospital). We collected the data on prescription and laboratory tests and analyzed the data using the statistical tests. Results: The results showed that 42 types of tests were prescribed in the first and third peaks of the Covid 19 pandemic in the two hospitals. Cr, BUN, K, Na tests were the most prescribed tests, and Troponin and CRP were the most expensive tests. There were no significant differences in prescribing and cost of tests in the general hospital, but in the teaching hospital there were significant differences in prescribing and cost of tests in the first and third peaks (P= 0.003). Conclusion: Due to unknown nature of Covid 19 disease and the high incidence of the disease at the beginning of the pandemic, a definite decision for laboratory tests was not possible. However, the findings indicate that many of tests were requested for most patients at regular intervals, while it was more desirable that these were prescribed on a case-by-case basis. © 2022, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research. All rights reserved.