TITLE:
Medical Direct Cost of Glaucoma in Morocco
AUTHORS:
Moncef Maiouak, Habiba El Ouazzani Taybi, Mohamed Berraho, Meriem Abdellaoui, Samira El Fakir, Idriss Benatiya Andaloussi, Nabil Tachfouti
KEYWORDS:
Glaucoma, Cost of Illness, Direct Medical Cost
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.10 No.4,
April
7,
2023
ABSTRACT: Objective: To estimate the direct medical cost of glaucoma in Morocco and identify the factors associated with it. Methods: A cost-of-illness study was carried out to determine the direct medical cost of glaucoma in Morocco between November 2021 and February 2022. Patients with glaucoma who had received treatment for at least 12 months were recruited from Hassan II University Hospital, and were investigated from a societal perspective. The bottom-up costing method was used to estimate annual direct costs. Result: Overall, 151 patients were included while the mean age was 59.1 ± 8.9 years with a female predominant (57.6%). The direct medical cost of glaucoma was estimated to be 406.61 USD with 95% CI: 318.36 - 494.86 annually per patient, with medical treatment being the most expensive healthcare service. Advanced age, duration of illness, and severity of glaucoma were found to be associated with higher direct medical costs. Conclusion: The economic burden of managing glaucoma is expected to continue rising, which highlights the importance of early detection and effective policies based on cost-of-illness analyses to optimize spending and reduce the burden on the healthcare system.