Differences of healthcare utilization and cost between cancer inpatients with and without depression: Based on national health insurance database.

Keywords: cancer patient; depression; China; healthcare utilization; direct medical cost; Psycho-Oncology EN cancer patient depression China healthcare utilization direct medical cost Psycho-Oncology 979 981 3 06/09/21 20210601 NES 210601 INTRODUCTION Depression can affect cancer treatment adherence and prognosis, worsening the health burden faced by cancer patients and their families.1 Despite previous studies in developed countries showing that depression in patients with cancer would be associated with higher healthcare costs, longer length of hospital stay, and more annual healthcare visits, there appeared to be a gap in the literature on the role of depression in raising healthcare utilization and costs in patients with cancer in developing countries.2 Mental health received insufficient attention in developing countries such as China, where depression was frequently underdiagnosed and undertreated in cancer patients.3 SP , sp 4 This study aimed to explore differences of healthcare utilization and costs between cancer inpatients with and without depression in China. Cancer patients with depression would accrue higher direct medical costs and medication costs, and pay more out-of-pocket for healthcare than those without depression. Second, with no cancer staging information in the database, we were unable to judge whether patients with depression had a more severe health condition contributing to more healthcare utilization and costs compared to other cancer patients. [Extracted from the article]