RT info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis
T1 Impacto económico de la enfermedad por COVID-19 en España: análisis de los costes hospitalarios a partir del Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos (CMBD)
A1 Álvarez del Río, Blanco
A2 Universidad de Valladolid. Escuela de Doctorado
K1 Análisis de costes
K1 COVID-19
K1 Minimum Basic Data Set
K1 Conjunto Mínimo Básico Datos
K1 hospital direct costs
K1 Costes directos hospitalarios
K1 Pregnancy
K1 Embarazo
K1 32 Ciencias Médicas
AB INTRODUCTION: The publications in this Doctoral Thesis aim to understand and describe, from the economic perspective of the Spanish healthcare system, the direct hospital costs associated with the treatment of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Spain.HYPOTHESIS: At the hospital level, healthcare for patients admitted with COVID-19 entailed a high healthcare cost, being higher than that of patients without COVID-19.OBJECTIVES: To analyse the economic cost of hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19 treated in Spanish hospitals: its relationship with sociodemographic, clinical-care aspects, and resource utilization.METHODOLOGY: A retrospective, nationwide population-based study was conducted of all hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Spanish hospitals. Data were collected from the Minimum Basic Data Set, obtained by the Spanish National Hospital Data Surveillance System, and hospital costs were calculated using data from diagnosis-related groups (Ministry of Health). A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Statistical analyses were performed using Python 3.9 and R 4.3.2.RESULTS: In 2020, there were 217.106 hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients, at a cost of ?1.234 billion, representing 6,7% of total hospital costs for that year. These hospitalizations had an average cost of ?5.684,80, 16.5% higher than hospitalizations of patients admitted for non-COVID-19 causes. Higher costs were observed for COVID-19 patients who required admission to Intensive Care Units (5.1 times higher) and for those who died in the hospital (73.1% higher). In 2020, there were 14.742 hospitalizations of patients admitted for various reasons who were found to be asymptomatic COVID-19 patients (positive in screening tests performed upon admission), which represented a cost of almost ?106 million. Asymptomatic cases accounted for 6,3% of all hospitalized COVID-19 cases. Between 2020 and 2022, 2,1% of women (15.792 out of 779.387) admitted during childbirth were COVID-19 patients (positive in screening tests performed upon admission). The total cost of this care was ?64 million. Women with COVID-19 during childbirth had more complications and worse clinical outcomes than those not diagnosed with COVID-19 during hospital admission, and the average cost of their hospital care was 25,1% higher. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic generated additional hospital expenditures for the national health system and required increased resources, particularly in terms of intensive care unit admissions and mechanical ventilation. The mandatory COVID-19 screening prior to hospital admission in Spain shows that asymptomatic cases were frequent, as well as their associated costs. The higher cost of asymptomatic COVID-19 is likely related to the underlying pathology itself, but also to the health measures adopted for asymptomatic patients who tested positive for COVID-19. The mandatory COVID-19 screening testing prior to hospital admission in Spain, in the specific case of the childbirth study, shows that COVID-19 cases were frequent, highlighting a higher risk of complications and worse outcomes, as well as higher costs. This suggests the need to adopt specific preventive measures, such as vaccination and screening for COVID-19 infection, and to strengthen resources for the care of this population, and other vulnerable populations. A better understanding of the costs and utilization of services during the COVID-19 pandemic will help health system managers and healthcare professionals optimize resources to control future pandemics.
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/81246
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/81246
LA spa
NO Escuela de Doctorado
DS UVaDOC
RD 09-ene-2026