OBJECTIVE To evaluate the economic burden of the intensive care unit (ICU) patients due to hospital-associated multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) infections based on propensity score matching (PSM) so as to provide evidence-based bases for prevention and control of hospital-associated MDROs infection and improvement of utilization efficiency of medical resources.

METHODS A total of 2118 patients who were hospitalized in Zibo Central Hospital from Jan. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2024 and conformed to the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited as the research subjects. The patients with hospital-associated MDROs infections were matched in a 1∶1 ratio by PSM (with the clamp value 0.02). Totally 309 pairs were successfully matched. The length of hospital stay and the costs were observed and compared between the MDROs group and the non-MDROs group.

RESULTS The MDROs group was with the length of hospital stay 14.00 days longer than the non-MDROs group after the matching (Z=-5.750, P < 0.001), with the total cost of hospitalization increased by 91, 420.84 yuan (Z=-8.271, P < 0.001). With the respect to the medical treatment expenses, the expenses of the MDROs group were higher than those of the non-MDROs group, covering the cost of medical service, therapeutic procedures, nursing, western medicine and TCM, and there were significant differences(P < 0.05). Among the differences in the costs between the two groups, the difference in the cost of western medicine was the most significant (22, 182.91 yuan), followed by the cost of clinical laboratory test for diagnosis (19, 529.60 yuan) and the cost of therapeutic procedures (16, 333.50 yuan).

CONCLUSIONS The hospital-associated MDROs infections may lead to the extension of hospital stay length of the ICU patients, which then increases the economic burden. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the multidisciplinary collaboration and formulate corresponding measures so as to reduce the risk of such infections among the ICU patients.