Version 1
: Received: 1 September 2024 / Approved: 2 September 2024 / Online: 2 September 2024 (23:26:26 CEST)
How to cite:
Łukomska, E.; Kloc, K.; Kowalska, M.; Matjaszek, A.; Joshi, K.; Scholz, S.; Van de Velde, N.; Beck, E. Healthcare Resource Utilization (HCRU) and Direct Medical Costs Associated with Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions: Findings from a Literature Review. Preprints2024, 2024090133. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0133.v1
Łukomska, E.; Kloc, K.; Kowalska, M.; Matjaszek, A.; Joshi, K.; Scholz, S.; Van de Velde, N.; Beck, E. Healthcare Resource Utilization (HCRU) and Direct Medical Costs Associated with Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions: Findings from a Literature Review. Preprints 2024, 2024090133. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0133.v1
Łukomska, E.; Kloc, K.; Kowalska, M.; Matjaszek, A.; Joshi, K.; Scholz, S.; Van de Velde, N.; Beck, E. Healthcare Resource Utilization (HCRU) and Direct Medical Costs Associated with Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions: Findings from a Literature Review. Preprints2024, 2024090133. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0133.v1
APA Style
Łukomska, E., Kloc, K., Kowalska, M., Matjaszek, A., Joshi, K., Scholz, S., Van de Velde, N., & Beck, E. (2024). Healthcare Resource Utilization (HCRU) and Direct Medical Costs Associated with Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions: Findings from a Literature Review. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0133.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Łukomska, E., Nicolas Van de Velde and Ekkehard Beck. 2024 "Healthcare Resource Utilization (HCRU) and Direct Medical Costs Associated with Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions: Findings from a Literature Review" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0133.v1
Abstract
Approximately 10–20% of individuals suffering from COVID-19 develop prolonged symptoms known as long COVID or post-COVID condition (LC). This review aimed to assess healthcare resource use (HCRU) and healthcare costs associated with LC. Because LC is not clearly defined and often remains undiagnosed, studies reporting on long-term follow-up of individuals with a COVID-19 diagnosis were also included. Among the 41 publications included, 36 reported on HCRU and 16 on costs. Individuals with LC had significantly elevated HCRU and healthcare cost vs controls without a COVID-19 diagnosis over ≥15 months, with a 7.6%–13.1% increase in total healthcare costs per person per month as assessed by difference-in-difference analysis. Among studies that did not specifically refer to LC, having a COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with a significant 4–10% increase in long-term total HCRU over 6–8 months and a 1.3- to 2.9-fold relative increase in total healthcare costs over 6 months. Due to the heterogeneity of included studies, high-quality evidence is needed to better understand the economic burden of LC. In the absence of effective treatments, prioritizing prevention of acute COVID-19, e.g., through vaccination, may be crucial for preventing LC and the associated long-term HCRU and medical spending.
Medicine and Pharmacology, Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
