Evaluating the medical expenses of the elderly referring to the outpatient centers of the Social Security Organization - Payesh (Health Monitor)
Mon, Dec 22, 2025
OPEN ACCESS
In Press                   Back to the articles list | Back to browse issues page

Ethics code: IR.ACECR.IBCRC.REC.1396.2

XML Persian Abstract Print

Evaluating the medical expenses of the elderly referring to the outpatient centers of the Social Security Organization
Afsoon Aeenparast *1 , Ali Asghar Haeri-Mehrizi1 , Farzaneh Maftoon1 , Faranak Farzadi1 , Fatemeh Riazi1
1- Health Metrics Research Center, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
Abstract:   (30 Views)

Objective (s): The medical costs of elderly people have considerable importance, because this age group usually faces high medical and pharmaceutical costs due to the chronic diseases and the need for multiple drugs. It seems that a more detailed analysis of elderly’s medication prescriptions can help provide the necessary evidence for effective policymaking in the field of aging. The aim of this study was to measure and analyze the medication costs of elderly people referring to outpatient medical centers of the Social Security Organization.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study on the data of outpatient visits from March 2017 to March 2018 who referred to the outpatient medical centers of the Social Security Organization in Iran. All outpatient prescriptions in this year were included in the study. The data was categorized into several main groups: characteristics of the service recipient, characteristics of the service provider, characteristics of the type of service, and characteristics of the service delivery center. They were then divided into two groups – elderly and non-elderly – based on age group. The data were cleaned after accumulation and validated. Valid data entered to data analysis phase. The data were analyzed by SPSS software.
Results: This study indicated that about 10.8% of the total 45,312,540 outpatient drug prescriptions belonged to elderlies. The average of medications per prescription for elderlies was 4.37 items, and the average cost of prescriptions for elderlies was calculated to be 1,654,544 rials. The results of the survey showed that the elderly had a higher number of drugs in a prescription than other age groups, and also have higher price of a prescription.
Conclusion: The burden of disease and also the medical costs of the elderly is higher. By considering the trend of population aging in near future it should be considered as one of health delivery system. Proper planning is a main way for effective confrontation with this challenge.
 

Keywords: Elderly, Medical Costs, Outpatient Centers, Social Security Organization
Full-Text [PDF 1092 kb]   (14 Downloads)    
type of study: Descriptive | Subject: Helath Services Management
Received: 2024/09/29 | Accepted: 2025/05/5 | ePublished ahead of print: 2025/12/22
References
1. Tarallo VD, Dantas-Torres F, Lia RP, Otranto D. Phlebotomine sand fly population dynamics in a leishmaniasis endemic periurban area in southern Italy. Acta Tropica 2010;116:227-34 [DOI:10.1016/j.actatropica.2010.08.013]
2. Aflatunian MR, Sharifi I. Frequency of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the patients referred to health centers of Bam district, 2000-2004. Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences 2006;5:123-8 [in Persian]
3. Kassi M, Kassi M, Afghan AK, Rehman R, Kasi PM. Marring leishmaniasis: the stigmatization and the impact of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Pakistan and Afghanistan. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2008; 2:1-3 [DOI:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000259]
4. Alvar J, VeÂlez ID, Bern C, Herrero M, Desjeux P, Cano J. Leishmaniasis worldwide and global estimates of its incidence. PLoS ONE 2012;7:e35671 [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0035671]
5. Desjeux P. Leishmaniasis: Current situation and new perspectives. Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 2004;27:305-18 [DOI:10.1016/j.cimid.2004.03.004]
6. Jafarpour ME, Ghazanfari Z, Jalali A. Preventive behavbrs of sickle diseases in Mehran city in 2014. Journal of Ilam University of Medical Sciences 2017;25:23-31 [in Persian] [DOI:10.29252/sjimu.25.3.23]
7. Bennis I, De Brouwere V, Belrhiti Z, Sahibi H, Boelaert M. Psychosocial burden of localised cutaneous leishmaniasis: a scoping review. BMC Public Health 2018;18:1-12 [DOI:10.1186/s12889-018-5260-9]
8. Kone AK, Niare DS, Thera MA, Kayentao K, Djimde A, Delaunay P. Epidemiology of the outbreak, vectors and reservoirs of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mali: A systematic review and meta analysis. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine 2016;9:985-90 [DOI:10.1016/j.apjtm.2016.07.025]
9. Ruiz-Postigo JA, Grout L, Saurabh J. Global leishmaniasis surveillance, 2017-2018, and first report on 5 additional indicators/surveillance mondiale de la leishmaniose, 2017-2018, et premier rapport Sur 5 indicateurs supplementaires. The Weekly Epidemiolical Record 2020;95:265-80
10. The World Health Organization. Leishmaniasis factsheet. 1st Edition, WHO Press; Geneva, 2020
11. The World Health Organization. Manual for case management of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. 1st Edition, WHO Press; Geneva, 2014
12. Fattahi Bafghi A, Eftekhari M, Ahmadi S, Moghateli M. Epidemiological pattern of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the province of Fars, Iran (since 2010-2014). Journal of Community Health Research 2016;5:240-8
13. Fekri S, Hanafi Bojd AA, Salari Y, Davoodian P, Safari R, Dadvand H. Situational analysis of cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic focus of the disease, Southeastern Iran. Journal of Arthropod-Borne Diseases 2018;12:1-11
14. Rejali M, Mohammadi Dashtaki N, Ebrahimi A, Heidari A, Maracy MR. Cutaneous leishmaniasis based on climate regions in Iran (1998 2021): A systematic review and meta analysis. Advanced Biomedical Research 2022;11:1-11 [DOI:10.4103/abr.abr_90_21]
15. Panahi S, Abbasi M, Sayehmiri K, Safaripour S, Abdi J. Prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran (2000-2016): A systematic review and meta analysis study. Infectious Disorders-Drug Targets 2021;21:173-9 [DOI:10.2174/1871526520666200601164850]
16. Sabzevari S, Teshnizi SH, Shokri A, Bahrami F, Kouhestani F. Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran: a systematic review and meta analysis. Microbial Pathogenecis 2021;152:104721 [DOI:10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104721]
17. Sharifi I, Khosravi A, Aflatoonian MR, Salarkia E, Bamorovat M, Karamoozian A, et al. Cutaneous leishmaniasis situation analysis in the Islamic Republic of Iran in preparation for an elimination plan. Frontiers in Public Health 2023;11:1-22 [DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1091709]
18. Behbahani A, Ahmadi S, Latifi SM, Sadeghi M. Study of the frequency of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Omidieh district, Khouzestan province, south west of Iran (2008 -2010). Jundishapur Journal of Health Sciences 2012;4:37-46
19. Mazloomi S, Nourmoradi H, Tazik Z, Ghodsei S, Amarloei A. Survey of Leishmaniasis prevalence status in Ilam province during 2013-2017. Journal of Health 2021;12:397-404 [DOI:10.52547/j.health.12.3.397]
20. Khajedaluee M, Yazdanpanah MJ, SeyedNozadi S, Fata A, Juya MR, Masoudi MH. Epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis in population covered by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2011. Medicin Journal Mashhad University Medical Scienese 2014;57:647-54 [in Persian]
21. Ramezani YM, Bahrami A, Friduni M, Parsa NB. Epidemiological study of leishmaniasis diseases in Aran and Bedgol city during the first six month of 2009. Journal of Kashan University of Medical Sciences 2011;15:254-8 [in Persian]
22. Tabasi M, Alesheikh AA, Sofizadeh A, Saeidian B, Pradhan B, AlAmri A. A spatio-temporal agent-based approach for modeling the spread of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in Northeast Iran. Parasites & Vectors 2020;13:1-17 [DOI:10.1186/s13071-020-04447-x]
23. Ramezankhani R, Sajjadi N, Nezakati esmaeilzadeh R, Jozi AS, Shirzadi MR. Climate and environmental factors affecting the incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Isfahan, Iran. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2018;25:11516-26 [DOI:10.1007/s11356-018-1340-8]
24. Rafati N, Shapouri moghadem A, Ghorbani R. Epidemiological study of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Damghan during (2000-2006). Journal of Semnan University of Medical Sciences 2007;8:247-53 [in Persian]
25. Kassiri H, Mortazavi HS, Kazemi SH. The Epidemiological study of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Khorram-shahr City, Khuzestan Province, South-West of Iran. Jundishapur Journal of Health Sciences 2011;3:11-21
26. Ghatee MA, Sharifi I, Mohammadi N, Moghaddam BE, Kohansal MH. Geographical and climatic risk factors of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the hyper-endemic focus of Bam County in southeast Iran. Frontiers in Public Health 2023;11:1-9 [DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1236552]
27. Jayrvnd AA, Vaziri F. Epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the city of Hawizeh in 2014-2015. Journal of Health Field 2016;4:46-50 [in Persian]
28. Asadi A, Moradinazar M, Marzbani B, Mohammadi A, Mehdizad R, Shakiba E, Atafar Z. Epidemiological study of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Kermanshah province, 2011-2019. Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences 2022; 32:155-62 [in Persian]
Add your comments about this article : Your username or Email:
CAPTCHA
Send email to the article author

Rights and Permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© 2024 All Rights Reserved | Payesh (Health Monitor)

Designed & Developed by : Yektaweb