Cost analysis for patients with presumed pulmonary tuberculosis attended in the public health system of rio de janeiro, Brazil.

Background: In last years, few attention has given to the patient's prediagnostic costs when evaluating the introduction of new technologies for tuberculosis (TB) and in this context, this study evaluated patient's costs and cost-effectiveness incurred with TB diagnosis comparing BactecTMMGITTM960 system (MGIT) to the Lowestein–Jensen (LJ) culture in a health center and in a university hospital, in Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil. Methods: Patient's mean costs were evaluated during the diagnosis process and cost-effectiveness based on mean time in days for the adoption of appropriate clinical anti-TB treatment in two health units comparing culture by means LJ and MGIT. Results: The mean cost of LJ and MGIT in the health center was U. S. dollars (US$) 26.6 and US$ 45.13, respectively, and in university hospital was US$ 206.87 and US$ 285.48, respectively. Comparing the two approaches for TB diagnosis incurred by the patients, the incremental cost-effectiveness of MGIT compared to LJ was US$ 0.88 and US$ 4.03 per patient, respectively, to reduce the average time to adopt appropriate treatment. Conclusions: The culture method directly impacts patient costs while waiting for the correct diagnosis and contributing to aggravating costs with patients with TB.