[Usefulness of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in home health care--investigation from the viewpoint of cost effectiveness].

: The use of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) has widely spread in recent years, even in Japan. In our hospital, we have performed this procedure in over 20 patients per year recently. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of PEG in home health care from the view point of cost effectiveness. We found that medical expenses decreased remarkably when patients underwent PEG because they could switch from hospital care to home health care, shortening there by the period of hospital care. The role of PEG in home health care will be more important also from cost effectiveness.