RWANDA PROJECT

Economic Evaluation of Postoperative Pain Management Programs in Rwanda

Severe pain management is one of the most important considerations in postoperative care following major surgery. Inappropriate or inadequate pain management treatments can have several adverse effects on a patient’s wellbeing and may even progress to chronic pain conditions leading to increased length of hospital stay. Adequate pain relief is often obtained using inexpensive drugs and treatments, however, physicians in developing countries generally have limited access to pharmaceuticals, technologies, and training that may subsequently limit their ability to execute effective postoperative pain management plans. It has been suggested that implementing specialized postoperative pain management programs within hospitals in developing countries such as Rwanda may reduce the median patient length of stay, and thereby decrease annual hospital costs. 

This study will perform an economic evaluation of the postoperative pain management program implemented at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Butare (CHUB) teaching hospital in Rwanda through the evaluation of program benefits as measured by length of stay compared to the cost of program implementation. Our objective is to determine if the costs of implementing a postoperative pain management program are less than the hospital’s annual costs without.