Volume 7, Number 2—April 2001
THEME ISSUE
4th Decennial International Conference on Nosocomial and Healthcare-Associated Infections
State of the Art
Economic Impact of Antimicrobial Resistance
John E. McGowan
Table 2
Elements of the economic impact of antimicrobial-drug resistance, by perspective affected
| Element | Measurementa | Perspective affected |
|---|---|---|
| Death | Costs associated with treatment failure (R) - Costs associated with treatment failure (S) | Physician, patient, HCB |
| Illness | Costs associated with pain, suffering, inconvenience (R) - Costs associated with pain, suffering, inconvenience (S) | Physician, patient |
| Care cost | Charges for care (R) - Charges for care (S) | Patient |
| Care time | Time devoted to care (R) - Time devoted to care (S) | Physician, HCB |
| Length of process (R) - Length of process (S)b | Patient, society | |
| Diagnosis costs | Costs for diagnosis (R) - Costs for diagnosis (S) | HCB |
| Treatment costs | Costs for drugs (additional drugs and treatments, more expensive drugs)(R) - Costs for drugs(S) | HCB |
| Diminished marketability | Market for drug use (R) - Market for drug use (S) | Drug industry |
| New markets | Market for new drug (S) - New market for new drug (R) (replace current market leader; replace inexpensive drug with more expensive drug; provide new product) | Drug industry |
| Impact on non-treated | Increased resistance (R) - Increased resistance (S) | Society |
aR = extent in patients infected with resistant organism; S = extent in patients infected with susceptible organism; HCB = health-care business.
bCosts associated with lack of routine functions during infection, including loss of work, quality of life for patient (includes both inpatient and outpatient components); for society, reduction of useful function in workforce.
