Table 3.
Monthly costs in patients suffering from chronic post-surgical pain at the 6-, 12- and/or 24-month follow-up
| Cost category | 6 months N=148 |
12 months N=113 |
24 months N=69 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) | % of average total cost | Mean (SD) | % of average total cost | Mean (SD) | % of average total cost | |
| Public insurance | ||||||
| Hospitalization | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 | 8.24 (87.54) | 8.2 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 |
| Physician visit | 21.22 (157.32) | 10.2 | 5.55 (22.40) | 5.5 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 |
| Drugsa | 0.76 (7.59) | 0.4 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 |
| Total public insurance | 21.98 (157.40) | 10.6 | 13.79 (96.73) | 13.8 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 |
| Out of pocket expenses | ||||||
| Drugsa | 2.19 (6.74) | 1.1 | 4.31 (21.08) | 4.3 | 1.97 (5.19) | 25.7 |
| Health care visitsb | 1.17 (16.51) | 0.6 | 7.21 (51.61) | 7.2 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 |
| Travel | 4.28 (36.01) | 2.1 | 2.56 (20.06) | 2.6 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 |
| Housework | 4.86 (41.97) | 2.3 | 2.57 (17.05) | 2.6 | 4.37 (22.30) | 56.9 |
| Total out of pocket expenses | 12.50 (60.90) | 6.0 | 16.65 (91.49) | 16.6 | 6.34 (25.26) | 82.6 |
| Private insurance | ||||||
| Health care visitsb | 1.49 (16.51) | 0.7 | 0.44 (4.70) | 0.4 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 |
| Drugsa | 0.34 (2.32) | 0.2 | 0.13 (1.15) | 0.1 | 0.58 (4.82) | 7.6 |
| Total private insurance | 1.82 (16.64) | 0.9 | 0.57 (4.83) | 0.6 | 0.58 (4.82) | 7.6 |
| Time cost | ||||||
| Patients’ work time lost | 123.57 (760.34) | 59.6 | 48.07 (511.01) | 48.0 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 |
| Patients’ leisure time lost | 38.36 (273.56) | 18.5 | 13.54 (108.83) | 13.5 | 0.76 (3.63) | 9.9 |
| Caregivers’ leisure time lost | 0.70 (6.15) | 0.3 | 3.76 (38.72) | 3.8 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 |
| Caregivers’ loss of time due to housework | 8.34 (57.49) | 4.0 | 3.76 (21.72) | 3.8 | 0.00 (0.00) | 0.0 |
| Total time cost | 170.97 (907.16) | 82.5 | 69.13 (529.66) | 69.0 | 0.76 (3.63) | 9.9 |
| Total | 207.26 (1,003.04) | 100.0 | 100.13 (603.49) | 100.0 | 7.68 (27.28) | 100.0 |
Notes: All results are in Canadian dollars.
a
Drugs utilized by patients could be covered by public or private insurance or could be paid for directly by the patient depending on insurance plan and coverage.
b
Includes all non-physician health care professionals as well as physician practicing outside of the publicly insured health care system. Costs were stratified based on patients’ insurance plans and coverage.