Abstract
Introduction: One of the non-communicable diseases that requires significant costs due to its long treatment duration and expensive equipment is chronic kidney disease (CKD). The high cost of treatment for patients with CKD undergoing hemodialysis drives the need for a pharmacoeconomic review, as individuals face limited resources and treatment costs continue to rise over time.
Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the total costs for CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis, analyze the minimal costs and cost-effectiveness, and to assess the utility of hemodialysis patients.
Patients and Methods: This study is an observational study using secondary data obtained from patient’s medical records and hospital financial data, as well as primary data through interviews and questionnaires. The entire population was taken as a sample, consisting of 34 CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis. The cost of illness (COI) was determined by calculating the total costs, minimal costs by calculating fixed and variable costs, cost-effectiveness by calculating average cost effectiveness ratio (ACER) and incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER), and also cost-utility analysis (CUA) using the EQ-5D-5L and visual analog scale (VAS) questionnaires.
Results: The research results showed that the COI for hemodialysis patients was USD 3884.27. The antihypertensive drug amlodipine was the more cost-minimizing and most cost-effective option compared to candesartan. The average utility value for hemodialysis patients was 0.692 (feeling fairly healthy), and the VAS utility score was 72.3 (moderately healthy health status).
Conclusion: The pharmacoeconomic profile, including COI, cost minimization analysis (CMA), cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), and CUA, are interrelated. The costs incurred by patients, along with the financial and health-related losses due to illness, impact the quality of life of CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis.