A cost-of-illness study of back pain in The Netherlands

Abstract

Nt. One-third of the hospital care costs and one-half of the costs of absenteeism and disablement due to musculoskeletal disease were due to back pain. The total direct medical costs of back pain were estimated at US$367.6 million. The total costs of hospital care due to back pain constituted the largest part of the direct medical costs and were estimated at US$200 million. The mean costs of hospital care for back pain per case were US$3856 for an inpatient and US$199 for an outpatient. The total indirect costs of back pain for the entire labour force in The Netherlands in 1991 were estimated at US$4.6 billion; US$3.1 billion was due to absenteeism and US$1.5 billion to disablement. The mean costs per case of absenteeism and disablement due to back pain were US$4622 and US$9493, respectively. The indirect costs constituted 93% of the total costs of back pain, the direct medical costs contributed only 7%. It is therefore concluded that back pain is not only a major medical problem but also a major economical problem. Abbreviations: SIG, Informatics in Health and Welfare; LIZ, National Information of Social Insurance; COTG, Central Health Care Charge Agency; CBS, Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics; SVr, Social Security Council; ∗Corresponding author. Maurits W. van Tulder, M.Sc., Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine (EMGO-Institute), Faculty of Medicine, Vrije Universiteit, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel.: (31) 20-4448178; FAX: (31) 20-4448181. Submitted September 30, 1994; revised December 5, 1994; accepted December 7, 1994. © Lippincott-Raven Publishers....