A cost analysis of conservative management of spinal cord-injured patients in Nigeria

Study design: A prospective study. Objectives: To determine the cost of acute phase of injury (ASCI) among spinal cord-injured patients managed conservatively in Nigeria. Settings: Gwagwalada, Abuja. Methods: Over a 1-year period (1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009), the cost of ASCI of consecutive spinal cord-injured patients, gainfully employed preinjury, who paid the hospital bill directly from their purses and could estimate their daily income, and who were managed conservatively for 6 weeks before discharge to rehabilitation, was prospectively examined. Results: A total of 34 cases of spinal cord-injured patients with a mean age of 35.4 +/- 12.8 years were included in this study. The mean cost of ASCI over 6 weeks was $1598.29, an average of 6.4-232.8% of patients' annual income where > 50% of the people live on less than a dollar a day. The mean cost of hospitalization was 14.9% of the total cost of ASCI in this study. It was significantly more expensive to treat tetraplegics compared with paraplegics. Conclusion: This study identified the cost of acute phase of spinal cord injury in Nigeria to assist clinicians in planning treatment that could reduce financial burden on the patients but optimize patients' care. Spinal Cord (2011) 49, 1134-1137; doi: 10.1038/sc.2011.69; published online 21 June 2011