Day case versus inpatient tonsillectomy in southern Iran: a
cost-effectiveness study
Abstract
Background: Day‐case tonsillectomy (DCT) compared with inpatient
tonsillectomy has increasingly become a norm for many patients
undergoing elective surgeries. Unjustified stays of tonsillectomy can be
avoided by day case surgery which consequently reduces treatment costs.
The aim of this study was to determine the cost and effectiveness of DCT
or outpatient operation in comparison with inpatient tonsillectomy.
Methods: This study was a cost-effectiveness study which was performed
on 300 patients. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: day
case (n = 150) and inpatient (n = 150). Consequences used in model
included incidence of bleeding, blood transfusion and re-operation
frequency within two weeks after surgery and also the patients’ pain
during 24 hours after surgery. This study was conducted from the social
perspective; therefore, direct and indirect costs are included in the
study. One-way sensitivity analysis was conducted to measure the
uncertainty effects of the parameters. The collected data was analyzed
using software Tree-Age and Excel 2016. Results: The results showed that
DCT was less costly and more cost effective than the inpatient one. Mean
total costs in day case and inpatient were $ 915.1 and $ 1227.9,
respectively. Besides, the mean effectiveness was 0.921 and 0.914
percent, respectively. Also, one-way sensitivity analysis proved the
robustness of the results of the study. Conclusion: The results showed
that DCT is a cost-effective strategy and can be suggested as a good
alternative for a wide range of patients after tonsillectomy. According
to the result of our study, supporting day case surgery for
tonsillectomy cases can significantly reduce the financial burden.
Keywords: Day Case Tonsillectomy, outpatient tonsillectomy, Inpatient
tonsillectomy, Cost-effectiveness analysis