Universal precautions: Costs for protective equipment

Background: The amount and costs of protective equipment used to implement universal precautions in Thailand have not previously been studied. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done to determine the frequency of clinical and laboratory procedures requiring universal precautions and the amount of protective equipment needed for each. Results: The study was performed in 24 government hospitals in Thailand in December 1993. Totaling 6549 beds, these hospitals had provided service to 357,391 inpatients and 3,411,122 outpatients during the previous year. The annual number of procedures performed in these hospitals was estimated at 17.5 million, with expenditures for protective equipment of $2.4 million (U.S.) per year. The average overall cost for protective equipment was U.S. $5.37 for one inpatient stay and U.S. $0.15 for one outpatient visit. The projected national expense for these barriers was U.S. $41.5 million per annum. The cost of these barriers after the implementation of universal precautions was 2.5 times the cost before implementation. Conclusions: Overuse of sterile and examination gloves and gowns and underuse of heavyduty gloves, masks, aprons, goggles, and boots were discovered during the study. Appropriate use of disposable and reusable universal precautions equipment would free health care dollars for other purposes.