Economics of Using Biocidal Surfaces - Use of Biocidal Surfaces for Reduction of Healthcare Acquired Infections - page 169

The value of life, as it was approached by the father of medicine Hippocrates,
(460 B.C.-377 B.C.) is “priceless.”
W.H.O. strongly reaffirms that health, which is a state of complete physical,
mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, is a
fundamental human right and that the attainment of the highest possible level of
health is a most important world-wide social goal whose realization requires the
action of many other social and economic sectors in addition to the health sector.
The existing gross inequality in the health status of the people particularly between
developed and developing countries as well as within countries is politically,
socially and economically unacceptable and is, therefore, of common concern in
all countries.
Economic and social development, based on a New International Economic
Order, is of basic importance to the fullest attainment of health for all and to the
reduction of the gap between the health status of the developing and developed
countries. The promotion and protection of the health of the people is essential to
sustained economic and social development and contributes to a better quality of
life and to world peace ( Declaration of Alma-Ata ).
Therefore, all references to ICU patients should have as a component that life
does not have the opportunity to fit into economic analysis systems.
A parameter such as the quality of life in comparison with life expectancy,
(Quality-adjusted life year - QUALY) may be a component of improving both
health services' quality and the macroeconomic efficiency of the health system
(cost effectiveness).
Technical evaluation of QUALY like the SF-36 and EuroQol have been
described and can assist with their questionnaires on objective recordings [ 21 , 22 ].
Recordings of the reduction on the consumption of pharmaceutical products,
particularly of antibiotics, during the treatment of patients in ICU, under specific
conditions of use of biocidal surfaces (Antimicrobial Copper Cu + [see Sect. 8.3 and
Chap. 4 ]) in them, have shown a statistically significant reduction on operating
costs [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 , 11 ].
The following algorithm approximates total cost's evaluation by summing
Depended and Independed Variables (see Sect. 8.5 ).

Σ cost ¼ Σ K depended variables þ Σ K independed variables

ð : Þ

8 1

Σ K independed variables ¼ Σ π 1 þ Σ π 2 þ ... þ Σ π ν

ð 8 : 2 Þ

e.g.

Σ π 1 ¼

Consumption of antimicrobial agents per day per pt

Σ K depended variables ¼

M π 1 þ M π 2 þ ... þ M π ν ð 8 : 3 Þ

Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs)
* more than 250 variables
In other studies, as elements of the reference case, such as long-term costs and
quality of life, may only be estimated using modeling and assumptions, it is
recommended an inclusion of a “data-rich” case, where the cost - effectiveness

e.g. M π 1 ¼