TY - JOUR
TI - Costs associated with COVID-19 in healthcare personnel in Greece: a
cost-of-illness analysis
AU - Maltezou, H. C.
AU - Giannouchos, T. V.
AU - Pavli, A.
AU - Tsonou, P. and
AU - Dedoukou, X.
AU - Tseroni, M.
AU - Papadima, K.
AU - Hatzigeorgiou, D. and
AU - Sipsas, N. V.
AU - Souliotis, K.
JO - JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL INFECTION
PY - 2021
VL - 114
TODO - null
SP - 126-133
PB - W B SAUNDERS CO LTD
SN - 0195-6701
TODO - 10.1016/j.jhin.2021.04.018
TODO - COVID-19; Exposure; Healthcare personnel; Cost; Absenteeism;
Presenteeism
TODO - Background: Healthcare personnel (HCP) are at increased risk of
infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2
(SARS-CoV-2), the aetiological agent of coro-navirus disease 2019
(COVID-19). Aim: To estimate the costs related to SARS-CoV-2 exposure
and infection among HCP in Greece. Methods: Data were retrieved from the
national database of SARS-CoV-2 infections and from the database of HCP
exposed to patients with COVID-19. A cost-of-illness analysis was
performed to estimate total, direct and indirect costs. Results: In
total, 254 HCP with COVID-19 and 3332 HCP exposed to patients with
COVID-19 during the first epidemic wave were studied. Of the 254 HCP
with COVID-19, 49 (19.3%) were hospitalized (mean length of
hospitalization 11.6 days) and four were admitted to intensive care
units (mean duration 10.8 days). Overall, 1332 (40%) exposed HCP had a
mean duration of absenteeism of 7.5 days, and 252 (99.2%) HCP with
COVID-19 had a mean duration of absenteeism of 25.8 days. The total
costs for the management of the two groups were estimated at euro
1,735,830 ( euro 772,890 Euros for HCP with COVID-19 and euro 962,940
for exposed HCP). Absenteeism accounted for a large proportion of the
total costs (80.4% of all expenditures), followed by costs for reverse
transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and hospitalization (10.2% and
6.5% of all expenditures, respectively). Conclusion: COVID-19 is
associated with increased rates and duration of absenteeism among HCP.
Indirect costs, particularly absenteeism, are the major driver of total
costs among exposed HCP and HCP with COVID-19. The estimated total costs
are conservative. Studies are needed to explore the impact of COVID-19
vaccination of HCP on absenteeism and COVID-19-associated costs. (c)
2021 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All
rights reserved.
ER -