Costs of Hospitalizations Due to Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Illness Among Children and Adolescents in Ontario, Canada

Speaker(s)

Goyette A1, Nzula S1, Fell D2, Rodopoulou S3, Tan C4, Nightingale N5, Perez Trejo ME6, Neish C5, Grajales Beltrán AG1
1Pfizer Canada ULC, Kirkland, QC, Canada, 2Pfizer. Inc., New York, NY, USA, 3IQVIA, Athens, Attica, Greece, 4IQVIA Solutions Canada Inc., Mississauga, ON, Canada, 5IQVIA Solutions Canada Inc, Mississauga, ON, Canada, 6IQVIA Solutions Canada Inc, Kirkland, QC, Canada

Presentation Documents

OBJECTIVES: Hospitalizations due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) increased following the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need to understand their economic burden on the healthcare system.

METHODS: Provincial administrative healthcare data at ICES, which captures healthcare encounters within Ontario’s publicly funded healthcare system, were used to identify patients aged ≤17 years who were hospitalized with RSV between July 1st, 2010 and March 31st, 2023, and describe the direct costs of individual RSV hospitalizations. Hospitalizations occurring within 30 days were considered a single hospitalization. Costs were standardized to 2021 Canadian dollars and annual outcomes reported from July 1st to June 30th of the next year.

RESULTS: Overall, 23,930 RSV hospitalizations were reported (annual range: 1,356 –4,298). Children <12 months accounted for 66% of all hospitalizations, of which >75% occurred in those <6 months. Annual costs were consistent over the study period, with a median (IQR) of $5,070 ($4,486–$6,742) per hospitalization. Those hospitalized at <1 month old incurred the highest costs, with a median (IQR) of $6,931 ($6,088–$11,408). These children also had the longest median length of hospital stay (108 hours) compared with the overall cohort (median: 69 hours). Overall, 12% of patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for a median duration of 87 hours, incurring a median (IQR) hospitalization cost of $12,042 ($6,836-$24,685) compared to those with no ICU stay (median [IQR]: $4,945 [$4,429-$6,091]). Proportionally more patients hospitalized at <4 months old (16%) or 5-17 years old (22%) had an ICU stay. Overall, the total annual cost of RSV hospitalizations were CAD$12–16 million during 2010-11 to 2021-22, and more than doubled to $38 million in 2022-23 due to the rise in hospitalized cases.

CONCLUSIONS: The substantial healthcare costs of by RSV hospitalizations underscores the importance of preventative measures to mitigate this burden.

Code

EPH2

Topic

Epidemiology & Public Health

Topic Subcategory

Public Health

Disease

Pediatrics, Respiratory-Related Disorders (Allergy, Asthma, Smoking, Other Respiratory)