La carga económica de la depresión en Colombia: costos directos del manejo intrahospitalario

The total average cost of hospitalization was 1,68 million Colombian pesos. Hospital stay represents 74.1% of the total cost of hospitalization. The average daily cost was 150,000 pesos. Under restricted access conditions the total direct cost of hospitalization for moderate to severe depression was estimated to be around 54,000 million pesos in the six cities included in the study, and 162,000 million pesos at the national level. Under the access conditions observed at the international level, the cost is 134,000 million pesos in the six cities and 399.000 million at the national level. Conclusions: This study is a starting point towards the quantification of the economic burden of depression in Colombia. Specifically, it provides information about the monetary resources used for depression management at the hospital level. These findings need to be complemented with information about other direct and indirect costs related to depression in the adult population of Colombia.