Impacto econômico da epidemia de Chikungunya em 2017: custos médicos diretos e custos indiretos para uma unidade de saúde da rede privada da cidade de Fortaleza, Ceará

Abstract

The Chikungunya is a debilitating disease caused by an RNA virus that belongs to the Togaviridae family of the Alphavirus genus. The introduction of the virus in the state of Ceará took place in late 2015, but it stood out in the following two years, presenting an epidemic of an explosive nature, which generated negative clinical and economic impacts. The study aims to estimate the economic impact of the chikungunya epidemic in 2017 for a private health unit in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study and a partial economic evaluation of the cost of the illness, by estimating direct and indirect medical costs. The info collection was made through secondary data, through the microcosting approach (bottom-up), using data from samples of patient records and the respective hospital bill, in addition to data from the institution on the medical leave of professionals who had chikungunya. The collected information was stored in an Excel® spreadsheet and then analyzed in the version 11.2 of the STATA program, regarding the frequency and distribution of variables, adopting measures of central tendency through descriptive statistics. Data was collected from 385 patients, where the total direct medical cost was R$ 174,346.25, including hospital admission and aid in emergency care. The average cost of emergency care was R$ 218.40 per patient and hospitalization was R$ 13,112.49, with an average of 10.8 days of hospital stay. Regarding indirect costs, data from all professionals of the institution where the research took place, who submitted requests for leave due to illness, were surveyed, accounting for 123 employees and an estimate of R$ 47,819.98, for absenteeism and a total of 746 days not worked, with an average absence of six (6) days. The Chikungunya is a disease that generates economic and social impact, with direct medical costs regading the treatment of the disease on an ambulatory and hospital level and indirect costs related to absenteeism.