Short Communication
Significant healthcare resource utilisation in the management of skin and soft tissue infections in the Torres Strait, Australia
AUTHORS
#Haylee Fox1 PhD, Postdoctoral Research Officer
#Allison Hempenstall2 FACRRM, Adjunct Associate Professor *
Pelista Pilot2 (Torres Strait Islander) Indigenous Research Officer
Emily Callander3,4 PhD, Health Economist
Simon Smith5 FRACP, Staff Specialist
Malcolm I McDonald6 PhD, Adjunct Professor
Josh Hanson7 PhD, Staff Specialist, Senior Research Associate
#Contributed equally
AFFILIATIONS
1 School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, 1 Parklands Drive, Gold Coast, Qld 4215, Australia
2 Thursday Island Hospital, Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service, 165 Douglas St, Thursday Island, Qld 4875, Australia
3 School of Public Health, University of Technology Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
4 College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, 1/14-88 McGregor Rd, Smithfield, Qld 4878, Australia
5 Cairns Hospital, Cairns Hospital and Hinterland Health Service, 165 The Esplanade, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia
6 College of Public Health, Medical and Vet Sciences, James Cook University, 1/14-88 McGregor Rd, Smithfield, Qld 4878, Australia
7 The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Cnr High St and Botony St, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
ACCEPTED: 18 January 2024
early abstract:
Background: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people (First Nations Australians) living in remote communities are hospitalised with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) at three times the rate of non-First Nations Australians. The Torres Strait in tropical northern Australia has a highly dispersed population mainly comprised of First Nations Australians. This study aimed to define the health service utilisation and health system costs associated with SSTIs in the Torres Strait and to improve the quality of regional healthcare delivery.
Methods: The research team conducted a retrospective, de-identified audit of health records for a two-year period, 2018 – 2019. The aim was to define health service utilization, episodes of outpatient care, emergency department, inpatient care and aeromedical retrieval services for SSTIs.
Results: Across 2018 – 2019, there were 3509 outpatient episodes of care for SSTIs plus 507 emergency department visits and 100 hospitalisations. For individuals with a SSTI, the mean outpatient clinic episode cost $240; the mean emergency department episode $400.85, the mean inpatient episode $8,403.05 while an aeromedical retrieval service cost $18,670. The total costs to the health system for all services accessed for SSTI management was $6,169,881 per year, 3% of the total annual health service budget.
Conclusions: Healthcare costs associated with SSTIs in the Torres Strait are substantial. The implementation of effective preventative and primary care interventions may enable resources to be reallocated to address other health priorities in the Torres Strait.
Keywords: Health economics, Indigenous Australians, infectious skin diseases, rural health