Costs of management of injuries in emergency room patients in Ilorin

Abstract

Background: Injuries pose a significant economic problem to communities in every society. Studies aimed at estimating the costs of management of injuries are very limited in this environment. Materials and Methods: The patients who presented to the emergency unit of the University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria, with traumatic injuries were recruited. The expenses were classified into various groups. Results: Of the 165 patients recruited, majority were young adult men. The mean direct cost per injury was N4061 ($27.1) with the cost of drugs accounting for the largest share of the costs. The costs incurred were higher with the increasing severity of injury. Conclusion: The direct costs of management of injuries from this study represent a significant economic drain to the low-income population of this environment. Extrapolating these cost estimates of medical treatment to the fatal as well as the even larger non-fatal injury burden in Nigeria exposes the immense financial drain to the individual and community.