Economic impact of patients with medical evacuation in remote islands: a case study in Matsu Islands
ObjectiveAir medical evacuation for residents of remote islands is expensive yet essential for addressing urgent and critical health conditions. This study aims to identify common referral reasons and quantify the economic impact of such services, with a focus on the potential benefits of implementi...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1542172/full |
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| author | Ping-Hsuan Hsieh Bo-Xiang Shi Chung-Yu Lai Chung-Yu Lai Yin-Chung Chen Chin Lin Olivia Wu Sy-Jou Chen Shih-Hung Tsai Shih-Hung Tsai Shih-Hung Tsai Shih-Hung Tsai |
| author_facet | Ping-Hsuan Hsieh Bo-Xiang Shi Chung-Yu Lai Chung-Yu Lai Yin-Chung Chen Chin Lin Olivia Wu Sy-Jou Chen Shih-Hung Tsai Shih-Hung Tsai Shih-Hung Tsai Shih-Hung Tsai |
| author_sort | Ping-Hsuan Hsieh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ObjectiveAir medical evacuation for residents of remote islands is expensive yet essential for addressing urgent and critical health conditions. This study aims to identify common referral reasons and quantify the economic impact of such services, with a focus on the potential benefits of implementing preventive medicine and telemedicine to improve medical care accessibility and coverage in these regions.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of adult patients who traveled from the Matsu Islands to the Taiwan mainland between January 2016 and June 2022 and divided them into two groups: Emergency Air Medical Transport (EAMT) and non-EAMT. We included both direct medical and non-medical costs, and indirect costs measured by productivity loss due to health conditions. A generalized linear model adjusted for age and gender was employed to estimate average costs per patient.ResultsData were available for 423 participants, with 136 in the EAMT group and 287 in the non-medical evacuation group. The average direct costs were significantly higher in the EAMT group ($12,067, 95% confidence interval [CI] 9,592–15,181) compared to the non-EAMT group ($5,540, 95% CI 4,645–6,608). Transportation costs made up the largest portion of these direct costs, particularly for those requiring EAMT services. The most common referral reasons for EAMT were cardiovascular diseases (27.2%), followed by injuries (21.3%) and general conditions (15.4%). Across all referral reasons, the EAMT group consistently incurred higher average costs compared to the non-EAMT group, with fractures resulting in the highest costs ($21,342, 95% CI 13,794–33,019).ConclusionThe findings highlight the significant financial burden of medical evacuation services in remote islands, particularly for cardiovascular conditions, injuries, and fractures. These results emphasize the need for targeted preventive measures and improved healthcare access to reduce both economic impact and health risks, providing a basis for further cost-effectiveness analysis of future interventions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9ef5a65133f749f3b44c09829cfd7889 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-9ef5a65133f749f3b44c09829cfd78892025-08-20T03:05:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-05-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.15421721542172Economic impact of patients with medical evacuation in remote islands: a case study in Matsu IslandsPing-Hsuan Hsieh0Bo-Xiang Shi1Chung-Yu Lai2Chung-Yu Lai3Yin-Chung Chen4Chin Lin5Olivia Wu6Sy-Jou Chen7Shih-Hung Tsai8Shih-Hung Tsai9Shih-Hung Tsai10Shih-Hung Tsai11School of Pharmacy, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, TaiwanSchool of Pharmacy, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, TaiwanGraduate Institute of Aerospace and Undersea Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, TaiwanCombat and Disaster Casualty Care Training Center, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Tri-Service General, Hospital National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, TaiwanSchool of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, TaiwanHealth Economics and Health Technology Assessment, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United KingdomDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Tri-Service General, Hospital National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Tri-Service General, Hospital National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, TaiwanSchool of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Physiology and Biophysics, Graduate Institute of Physiology, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, TaiwanTaichung Armed Forces General Hospital, Taichung, TaiwanObjectiveAir medical evacuation for residents of remote islands is expensive yet essential for addressing urgent and critical health conditions. This study aims to identify common referral reasons and quantify the economic impact of such services, with a focus on the potential benefits of implementing preventive medicine and telemedicine to improve medical care accessibility and coverage in these regions.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of adult patients who traveled from the Matsu Islands to the Taiwan mainland between January 2016 and June 2022 and divided them into two groups: Emergency Air Medical Transport (EAMT) and non-EAMT. We included both direct medical and non-medical costs, and indirect costs measured by productivity loss due to health conditions. A generalized linear model adjusted for age and gender was employed to estimate average costs per patient.ResultsData were available for 423 participants, with 136 in the EAMT group and 287 in the non-medical evacuation group. The average direct costs were significantly higher in the EAMT group ($12,067, 95% confidence interval [CI] 9,592–15,181) compared to the non-EAMT group ($5,540, 95% CI 4,645–6,608). Transportation costs made up the largest portion of these direct costs, particularly for those requiring EAMT services. The most common referral reasons for EAMT were cardiovascular diseases (27.2%), followed by injuries (21.3%) and general conditions (15.4%). Across all referral reasons, the EAMT group consistently incurred higher average costs compared to the non-EAMT group, with fractures resulting in the highest costs ($21,342, 95% CI 13,794–33,019).ConclusionThe findings highlight the significant financial burden of medical evacuation services in remote islands, particularly for cardiovascular conditions, injuries, and fractures. These results emphasize the need for targeted preventive measures and improved healthcare access to reduce both economic impact and health risks, providing a basis for further cost-effectiveness analysis of future interventions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1542172/fulleconomic burdenair medical evacuationremote islandcost analysismedical evacuation |
| spellingShingle | Ping-Hsuan Hsieh Bo-Xiang Shi Chung-Yu Lai Chung-Yu Lai Yin-Chung Chen Chin Lin Olivia Wu Sy-Jou Chen Shih-Hung Tsai Shih-Hung Tsai Shih-Hung Tsai Shih-Hung Tsai Economic impact of patients with medical evacuation in remote islands: a case study in Matsu Islands Frontiers in Public Health economic burden air medical evacuation remote island cost analysis medical evacuation |
| title | Economic impact of patients with medical evacuation in remote islands: a case study in Matsu Islands |
| title_full | Economic impact of patients with medical evacuation in remote islands: a case study in Matsu Islands |
| title_fullStr | Economic impact of patients with medical evacuation in remote islands: a case study in Matsu Islands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Economic impact of patients with medical evacuation in remote islands: a case study in Matsu Islands |
| title_short | Economic impact of patients with medical evacuation in remote islands: a case study in Matsu Islands |
| title_sort | economic impact of patients with medical evacuation in remote islands a case study in matsu islands |
| topic | economic burden air medical evacuation remote island cost analysis medical evacuation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1542172/full |
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