Economic Model for Cost Containment: Evaluating the Utilization of a Touch-free Zinc Oxide in an Acute Care Hospital

Introduction Incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD), the most common form of moisture-associated skin damage (MASD), puts patients at higher risk for ulceration. Treatment of MASD/IAD includes application of zinc oxide, typically applied using gloved hands directly to the area of concern. A computational model was utilized to examine a cost comparison of a touch-free zinc oxide treatment versus traditional zinc oxide for MASD/IAD. Methods A literature search was performed using PubMed, a nursing journal database (CINAHL), and MEDLINE for publications from January 1, 2010 through November 30, 2017. Data on prevalence of MASD/IAD, average length of stay, and time to heal were extracted and utilized in the computational model. Cost per patient stay and annual total hospital costs were calculated for three and four applications of zinc oxide per patient with an averaged prevalence rate of 25% for a hypothetical hospital. Results The computational model estimated a range of cost savings between $181.88 to $2,000.63 per patient stay, and $4,728.88 to $52,016.25 over a 12-month period compared to traditional zinc oxide application. Conclusions The computational model estimated a cost savings of up to $52,016.25 per year in a hypothetical 250-bed acute care hospital compared to traditional zinc oxide application. Future prospective studies examining clinical effectiveness and health economics of touch-free zinc oxide are necessary.