Table 1 Terminology used to describe inputs of calculations according to Patel et al. [6]
From: Evaluating the costs of adverse drug events in hospitalized patients: a systematic review
Classification of costs included in calculations | Glossary of terminology |
|---|---|
Pharmaceutical | To include the terms below |
Medication costs | Raw pharmaceutical cost of the drug involved |
Drug monitoring | Any procedures/investigations required to maintain a drug within its therapeutic range |
Investigations | Any tests undertaken with therapeutic intent |
Laboratory | To include all pathology services |
Radiology | To include all imaging modalities |
Procedures | Any examination or intervention with a therapeutic intent |
Diagnostic | Examination of interventions to determine a condition or disease |
Surgical | Interventions that involve break of the skin with therapeutic intent |
Therapies | Synonym of procedure |
Labour | The sum of all wages paid to employees |
Pharmacist | Wages paid to pharmacists |
Physician | Wages paid to doctor/physician |
Services | Cost of providing a particular facility for a patient’s care |
Outpatients care | Cost of hospital-based clinics and associated investigations and treatments |
Home visits | Cost of patients care in their own home |
Transport/travel | Cost of patient transport |
Ambulatory care | Cost of hospital visit short of an admission |
Nursing facility stay | Cost of a stay at a nursing facility |
Emergency department visit | Cost of a visit to the emergency department |
Intensive care stay | Cost of admission to an intensive care unit |
Infrastructure | Cost of physical facilities for delivering healthcare |
Bed | Cost of providing physical facilities and care surrounding an individual patient’s treatment |
Overheads | Operating expenses not directly related to a single patient admission (e.g., a fixed cost) |
Equipment | Cost of consumables used to deliver patient care |
Medical supplies | Cost of consumables used to deliver patient care |
Hospital admission | Sum of all variable costs that can be attributed to a single patient |
Patient | Any cost borne by the consumer of the service |
Cost of permanent harm | Estimation of the cost of living with any lasting consequence of a medication error |
Income | Loss of patient income due to increased time spent in hospital as a result of medication error |
Economic | Accounting cost plus opportunity cost |
Opportunity costs | The cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action |