ArticleAfrican journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence2022
Financial burden associated with attendance at a public hospital emergency department in Johannesburg.
Article in African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Counting the Cost: Examining Out-of-Pocket Spending on Emergency Care in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionMore than half of South Africans live below the poverty line. Indirect medical costs can contribute significantly to the financial burden of patients seeking medical care. The aim of this study was to determine the expenses incurred by patients and/or their escorts during a visit to the emergency centre (EC).
methodsPatients and/or their escorts presenting to an EC in Johannesburg were asked to complete the study questionnaire relating to expenses incurred during a visit to the EC.
resultsOf the total 396 participants that completed the questionnaire, 108 (27.2%) did not have any source of income, 146 (36.9%) were the sole breadwinner in their household and 36 (9.1%) belonged to zero-income households. Among those earning ≤R2000 per month, the mean expenses relating to the EC visit was R240 (SD R372), equating to an average of 33.2% of mean monthly income. Transport costs were the most common expense (n=302, 76.3%), while general practitioner (GP) fees incurred prior to the EC visit accounted for the bulk of the expenses (median R450, IQR 350-820). Participants that earned >R2000 per month were significantly more likely to incur GP fees (p =0.012), while those earning ≤R2000 per month were significantly more likely to take a loan to cover EC related expenses (p =0.014).
conclusionA visit to the EC can have a substantial financial impact on patients and their accompanying escorts in South Africa. Strategies should be aimed at identifying and assisting those that are in need of financial assistance to cover indirect healthcare costs.
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