Economic burden of road traffic injuries among hospitalized subjects in a tertiary care center in Bengaluru, India: A cost of illness study

Background: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are the major causes of mortality, morbidity, and disability among young adults and pose a significant economic burden to individuals, families, and communities. Objective: To estimate the cost of care at discharge, 3 months and 6 months among patients with RTIs admitted to a private tertiary hospital in Bengaluru, India. Methods: A cost-of-illness study from patient's perspective was done among 150 hospitalized injured subjects with RTIs admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Bengaluru city. A face validated, structured interview schedule was administered in local language at baseline (hospital discharge time), 1 month and at 6 months to capture data on direct medical costs, direct nonmedical costs, and indirect costs incurred by the RTI victims and their family members. Hospital bills were reviewed for all the patients included in the study. Results: Among the 150 study participants, majority were men (94.67%), with a mean age of 35.36 years +/- 14.62 years and majority were two-wheeler riders/pillions and pedestrians. Our results show the median cost incurred for care of RTI to be INR 106,374 (inter quartile range [IQR] 57,402-163,250) (USD 1418 [IQR 765-2176]). Direct medical costs contributed to 66% of the costs, whereas direct nonmedical and indirect costs contributed to 21% and 13% of the total costs, respectively. Conclusion: RTIs contribute to significant economic burden to patients. While prevention should be our primary goal, health financing and risk protection mechanisms should be strengthened by streamlining insurance coverage mechanisms to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure.