A financial audit on hospital costs in an inpatient Psychiatry Unit at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
<p><strong>Background</strong></p><p>The Sri Lankan public health care system provides free health care. Psychiatric services in the public sector have expanded over the years to reach the whole country. Currently, the cost of care per patient in a government hospital i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sri Lanka College of Psychiatrists
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://sljpsyc.sljol.info/articles/8227 |
| _version_ | 1819067755913019392 |
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| author | J. C. Udeshika A. Ellepola |
| author_facet | J. C. Udeshika A. Ellepola |
| author_sort | J. C. Udeshika |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p><strong>Background</strong></p><p>The Sri Lankan public health care system provides free health care. Psychiatric services in the public sector have expanded over the years to reach the whole country. Currently, the cost of care per patient in a government hospital is not calculated directly.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Aims</strong></p><p>To assess the total in-ward expenditure, expenditures incurred in different cost heads, average per patient cost and cost per patient day in a psychiatry unit at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Methods</strong></p><p>A financial audit was carried out at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura. All patients admitted for in-patient psychiatry care from 1st to 30th of September 2019 were included. Data were collected retrospectively from patient documentations and hospital accounting using a data extraction form.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Results</strong></p><p>Ninety patients, 48 (53.3%) females and 42 (46.7%) males, were included in the study, with 711 in-patient days. The average length of stay was 7.9 days. The mean age was 39.8 years, ranging from 16 to 75 years, and most were married (55.6%). Schizophrenia and depressive disorder were the commonest diagnoses. The total cost per month in the psychiatry unit was LKR 3 321 050.60, with an average of LKR 110 701.70 per day. The average cost per patient per day was LKR 4 670.96. Staff wages accounted for 56.27% of the total expenses, and medications and other consumables accounted for 13.01%.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Conclusions</strong></p>Clinicians can carry out cost analysis with data available to them. The results can be used to efficiently allocate resources from the total budget in the given institution, and to implement cost reduction plans to use limited resources effectively. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T16:23:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-20bc8fb7ea8344aab1d16e41bd7ff410 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2012-6883 2579-2008 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T16:23:18Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Sri Lanka College of Psychiatrists |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-20bc8fb7ea8344aab1d16e41bd7ff4102022-12-21T18:57:30ZengSri Lanka College of PsychiatristsSri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry2012-68832579-20082020-12-01112263010.4038/sljpsyc.v11i2.82275916A financial audit on hospital costs in an inpatient Psychiatry Unit at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri LankaJ. C. Udeshika0A. Ellepola1Teaching Hospital, AnuradhapuraTeaching Hospital, Anuradhapura<p><strong>Background</strong></p><p>The Sri Lankan public health care system provides free health care. Psychiatric services in the public sector have expanded over the years to reach the whole country. Currently, the cost of care per patient in a government hospital is not calculated directly.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Aims</strong></p><p>To assess the total in-ward expenditure, expenditures incurred in different cost heads, average per patient cost and cost per patient day in a psychiatry unit at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Methods</strong></p><p>A financial audit was carried out at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura. All patients admitted for in-patient psychiatry care from 1st to 30th of September 2019 were included. Data were collected retrospectively from patient documentations and hospital accounting using a data extraction form.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Results</strong></p><p>Ninety patients, 48 (53.3%) females and 42 (46.7%) males, were included in the study, with 711 in-patient days. The average length of stay was 7.9 days. The mean age was 39.8 years, ranging from 16 to 75 years, and most were married (55.6%). Schizophrenia and depressive disorder were the commonest diagnoses. The total cost per month in the psychiatry unit was LKR 3 321 050.60, with an average of LKR 110 701.70 per day. The average cost per patient per day was LKR 4 670.96. Staff wages accounted for 56.27% of the total expenses, and medications and other consumables accounted for 13.01%.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Conclusions</strong></p>Clinicians can carry out cost analysis with data available to them. The results can be used to efficiently allocate resources from the total budget in the given institution, and to implement cost reduction plans to use limited resources effectively.https://sljpsyc.sljol.info/articles/8227financial audit, cost analysis, expenditure, psychiatry, in-patient care |
| spellingShingle | J. C. Udeshika A. Ellepola A financial audit on hospital costs in an inpatient Psychiatry Unit at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry financial audit, cost analysis, expenditure, psychiatry, in-patient care |
| title | A financial audit on hospital costs in an inpatient Psychiatry Unit at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka |
| title_full | A financial audit on hospital costs in an inpatient Psychiatry Unit at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka |
| title_fullStr | A financial audit on hospital costs in an inpatient Psychiatry Unit at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka |
| title_full_unstemmed | A financial audit on hospital costs in an inpatient Psychiatry Unit at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka |
| title_short | A financial audit on hospital costs in an inpatient Psychiatry Unit at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka |
| title_sort | financial audit on hospital costs in an inpatient psychiatry unit at teaching hospital anuradhapura sri lanka |
| topic | financial audit, cost analysis, expenditure, psychiatry, in-patient care |
| url | https://sljpsyc.sljol.info/articles/8227 |
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