ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana - Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2021 November;180(11):689-94

DOI: 10.23736/S0393-3660.20.04473-3

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Cost analysis of sports injuries diagnosis in a university hospital sports medicine department

Sertaç YAKAL ¹, Aysun ERTUNA ¹, Bernard TAHIRBEGOLLI ² ✉, Bülent BAYRAKTAR ¹

¹ Department of Sports Medicine, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey; ² Department of Management of Health Institutions and Services, Heimerer College, Prishtina, Kosovo

BACKGROUND: Although the most important tool for diagnosing sports injuries is physical examination, further examinations are needed in some cases to confirm the diagnosis and determine the degree of injury that leads to increased diagnostic and treatment costs.
METHODS: The scope of this descriptive study contains all patients who applied to the Sports Medicine Department Polyclinics for the first time between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017, and who were attended, examined, and treated by the same doctor.
RESULTS: In this study, 310 patient’s polyclinic applications were evaluated. 159 of 310 patients who were examined had a sedentary lifestyle and the other 151 were athletes. The median age of applicants was 33 (Inter Quartile Rate (IQR): 21-45) years. The most common reason for admission to Sports Medicine Department were injuries on the knee area, followed by lower back injuries. The average number of examinations per patient was 2. The average cost per patient was 45.5 $. In terms of region of injury, treatment of shoulder injuries with 56.87 $ per patient and according to ICD-10 classification the diagnosis of M77.1 (Lateral Epicondylitis) with 68.24 $ per patient proved to be the most costly. In terms of cost between sedentary/athlete or male/female patients’ no statistically significant difference was found (P>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that among all patients admitted to Sports Medicine Department Polyclinics, most common diagnosed sport injuries take place on the knee area. Treatment of shoulder injuries and diagnosis of lateral epicondylitis are the costliest procedures.

KEY WORDS: Sports medicine; Athletic injuries; Costs and cost analysis