Traumatic brain injury can take a significant toll on an individual. It can cause a wide spectrum of issues that include things like disability, mental and emotional changes, and relationship strain; all of which can affect an individual for a long time. The monetary impact of a TBI can be quite costly and it’s a topic that is often overlooked.
A new report from SanBio, Inc., shows that TBI patients who experience motor impairment face significantly higher healthcare costs compared to the average person. These particular costs can impact this difficult situation for many years and consequently add even more stress and pressure.
In the report presented at the World Congress of Brain Injury in New Orleans, researchers explained that TBI patients face high costs even a year after their injury. Medical costs are highest in the times immediately following the injury, but patients with evidence of motor impairment incurred excess costs of nearly $27,000 per patient in the second year post injury.
These costs also appeared to stabilize at a rate of approximately four times higher than those of control groups.
Patients who showed motor impairment were much more likely to need elevated use of all medical resources analyzed in the report, including inpatient and outpatient services, emergency department visits, physical therapy, and rehabilitation services. The costs also included prescription drug use.
“Patients with traumatic brain injuries incurred significantly greater costs than the control group across the board for medical services,” said Dr. Damien Bates, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research at SanBio, and a study coauthor. “This study highlights the significant unmet need for effective care in this population, as well as the strain that this condition places on our entire healthcare system. There is a clear need for treatment that would help relieve the economic burden on patients suffering from the lingering effects of a traumatic brain injury.”
It is important to note how important specialized treatment for traumatic brain injuries are and how they can positively impact certain individuals. It is clear that there must be more treatment to relieve the economic burden on patients suffering from the on-going effects of a traumatic brain injury.
