Study On The Hospitalization Expenses And Influencing Factors Of Children With Depression In Shandong Province

Background:Depression is one of the most common mental disorders,affecting more than 350 million people of different ages worldwide.The incidence of depression is on the rise in China,and more and more children suffer from depression.Without effective treatment,depression can seriously affect a child's development,education,and likelihood of living a full and meaningful life.Most depression disorders are accompanied by behavioral problems,which seriously affect children's learning performance and social ability.Meanwhile,families of depressed children also need to spend a lot of experience to guide,help and care for children,which seriously interferes with the normal life and social activities of families.In addition to the severe physical and psychological burden,depression imposes a heavy economic burden on families and societies,including a huge drain on medical resources.Childhood depression has become a social problem that cannot be ignored.This study discussed the hospitalization cost of children with depression and its influencing factors,and put forward the strategies to improve children with depression and reduce the economic burden on the family.Methods:The data were obtained from the hospitalization information system of 26 general hospitals in 6 regions of Shandong Province,China.We identified 488 children with depression.The information on demographics,comorbidities,medical insurance,hospitalization costs and insurance reimbursements were extracted from the hospital's information systems.Descriptive statistics were presented and regression analyses were conducted to explore the factors associated with hospitalization costs.STATA14 software was used for analysis.Results:In this study,a total of 488 children with depression were enrolled,with an average age of 13.46±0.13 years.The average hospitalization cost was 13587.25 yuan,the average out of pocket cost was 7612.08 yuan,and the average hospitalization time was 35.74 days.The availability of medical insurance directly affected the hospitalization costs of children with depression.The children with medical insurance had average total hospitalization expenses of RMB14528.05RMB(US$2111.91)and length of stay in hospital of 38.87 days compared with the children without medical insurance of hospital with expenses of RMB10825.55(US$1573.69)and hospital stays of 26.54 days.Insured children's mean out-of-pocket expenses(6517.38RMB)was lower than the those of uninsured children(RMB 10825.55 or US$1573.69),significant at 0.01 level.Insured children incurred higher treatment costs,drug costs,bed fees,check-up fees,test costs and nursing fees than uninsured patients(p<0.01).Conclusions:1.The average hospitalization cost of children with depression in Shandong province was 13,587.25 yuan,and the average length of hospitalization was 35.74 days.2.The influencing factors of the total hospitalization cost of children with depression in Shandong province are as follows:whether to participate in medical insurance,the length of hospitalization,and the distribution of the region.3.The main influencing factors of hospitalization out-of-pocket expenses for children with depression in Shandong province are:whether they have complications,whether they are covered by medical insurance,and the length of hospitalizationSuggestions:1.Increasing attention to depression in women and children,early detection of symptoms and treatment2.We will increase the number of children insured,expand the coverage of medical insurance,and increase the fund for medical insurance3.Standardize the medical level and professional quality of doctors to avoid moral hazard caused by over service4.Gradually improve the reform of the mode of medical insurance payment,and adopt a mixed mode of payment mainly based on prepayment system5.Shorten the length of stay and improve the quality of medical services.