Medicinski vjesnik, Vol. 21 No. (4), 1989.
Professional paper
Economic and medical advantages of digestive tract endoscopy
Aleksandar Včev
Ivan Čandrlić
Dubravko Božić
Dubravko Paulini
Branimir Zelenka
Miroslav Volarić
Boris Pospihalj
Abstract
The paper analyzes medical and financial values of certain diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in patients with gastroenterohepatic diseases which can be performed endoscopically, radiographically or surgically. Considering the miserable financial condition of the health care system, this comparison is very important. In the diagnostics of digestive diseases endoscopy must be preferred to radiography, since in addition to medical advantages (no radiation of the patients, possibility of visual examination and sampling for histological analysis), it is cheaper, as well. Besides, following of the doctrine that in case of positive radiograms the diagnostics must be continued by endoscopy and taking samples for histological analysis duplicates the examinations and causes a considerable loss of money. Thus, primary endoscopy evidently means economization. The therapeutical endoscopic procedures have the advantage over surgery, both from the medical (low mortality, less complications, shorter period of rehabilitation and humane treatment) and the financial point of view. Accordingly, any investment into the development of endoscopy means more diagnostic and therapeutical endoscopic procedures performed as well as the abolition of radiographic and surgical procedures, which would contribute to saving considerable amounts of money.
Keywords
endoscopy; radiography; surgery; hospital economics
Hrčak ID:
196962
URI
Publication date:
1.12.1989.
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