Economics of Using Biocidal Surfaces - Use of Biocidal Surfaces for Reduction of Healthcare Acquired Infections - page 166

Results During December 2010 and March 2011 and respectively during December
2011 and March 2012 comparative results showed statistically significant reduction on
the microbial flora (CFU/ml) by 95 % and the use of antimicrobial medicine (per day
perpatient)by30%(p

¼ 0.014) as well as patients hospitalization time and cost.

Conclusions The innovative implementation of antimicrobial copper in ICUs
contributed to their microbial flora significant reduction and antimicrobial
drugs use reduction with the apparent positive effect (decrease) in both patients'
hospitalization time and cost. Under the present circumstances of economic crisis,
survey results are of highest importance and value.

List of Abbreviations

APACHE II Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation
CHOC Chocolate agar

DDP Drugs (dose) per day per patient

EPA Environmental Protection Agency

HCDI Hellenic Copper Development Institute

ICU Intensive care unit

NICU Neonatal intensive care unit

PCR Polymerase chain reaction

QALY Quality-adjusted life year

SAPS Simplified acute physiology score

SPSS 18 Statistical package for social science

WHO World Health Organization

8.1 Introduction

Health Costs is currently one particular factor that is highly important for any
economy of an organized society. National health systems in most countries of the
world are funded by governments and assisted by private healthcare providers.
Operating costs of Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in hospitals have been subjected
to approaches and analyzations of various types. Even though most of the patients
hospitalized in ICUs have been treated (e.g. surgery) before entering the ICU and
the cost of treatment should also include this stage, there have been efforts made
by many scientists to isolate the cost effectiveness within the time limits of
hospitalization in ICUs [ 12 , 19 , 20 , 24 ].
Factors that either limit or minimize the operating cost of an ICU usually interact
with each other and are associated with the use of pharmaceutical compositions,
medical equipment and treatment protocols followed [ 1 , 8 , 16 ].
In the World Literature there have been described several types of economic
analysis so as to estimate the Cost Effectiveness in Critical Care, such as Cost
Minimization, Cost Benefit, Cost Effectiveness and Cost Quality [ 20 ]. Furthermore