the socio economic impact of typhoid intestinal perforation in children in a developing country

Abstract Background: Typhoid intestinal perforation is a common cause of post-operative wound complications and occurs in various severities, which often lead to serious financial crisis due to the prolonged and high demanding course of management. Aim: This study is to review the socio-economic burden of management of typhoid post-operative wound complications in children in a low income country. Materials and Methods: It’s a 7-year retrospective study of 95 children aged ≤ 15-years with typhoid intestinal perforation, reviewing the patients’ home location, family size, parents’ occupations; post-operative wound complications of typhoid intestinal perforation and their cost of treatments, length of hospital stay and the role of the social intervention programmes of the hospital. Results: Eighty-one (85.3%) parents are manual workers, 6(6.3%) junior civil servants, 3(3.2%) are businessman, policeman, and a retired civil servant respectively, while (5.3%) children are orphans. Sixty-seven 67(70.5) patients had various grades of postoperative wound complications, out of which 10(14.9%) died and 57(80.1%) were subsequently managed out of whom 17(29.8%) were re-operated. The overall increase in treatment due to management of post-operative wound complications was 69.4% average of about 135.16 USD, ranged 100.98-169.34 USD as a result of re-operations, secondary wound closures, wound dressing items and bed fees, while about 91.13USD, and ranged 89.40-95.16USD spend by patients without post-operative wound complications on just and bed fee. Conclusion: Management of typhoid post-operative wound complications is a huge economic burden to be completely left for patients and their relatives alone to handle. Keywords Cost of treatment; Post-operative wound complications; Typhoid intestinal perforation