Economic burden of sports injury in China: result from a single center of medical quality and safety monitor system

Tsz-Ngai Mok; Zhiguang Huang; Ning Ruoyu; Jian Guan; Jing Zhao; Zihang Chen; Lek-Hang Cheang; Man-Seng Tam; Dongyi Fan; Tien-Cheng Yeh; Sicun Li; Huajun Wang; Xiaofei Zheng; Wai-Kit Ming

doi:10.1186/s12962-025-00659-z

Economic burden of sports injury in China: result from a single center of medical quality and safety monitor system

Tsz-Ngai Mok (Co-first Author)
, Zhiguang Huang (Co-first Author)
, Ning Ruoyu (Co-first Author)
, Jian Guan (Co-first Author)
, Jing Zhao
, Zihang Chen
, Lek-Hang Cheang
, Man-Seng Tam^*
, Dongyi Fan
, Tien-Cheng Yeh
, Sicun Li
, Huajun Wang^*
, Xiaofei Zheng^*
, Wai-Kit Ming^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

4 Downloads (CityUHK Scholars)

Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Sports injuries are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide as sports and physical activities gain popularity. These injuries impose a significant burden on individuals and society. However, a limited understanding of the cost analysis of sports injuries in Southeast China exists.

OBJECTIVE:
The objective is to explore the medical costs associated with sports injury surgery and related healthcare policies from a hospital perspective.

METHODS:
We conducted a prospective analysis of inpatient costs for sports injury surgeries at the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University from 2015 to 2022. The total expenditure was categorized into various components: general medical service, nursing service, imaging, rehabilitation, etc. These were analyzed based on the International Classification of Function, Disability, and Health (ICF) system, surgical type, year category, and age. Furthermore, we accessed authoritative economic data, such as standardized occupational salaries and cost estimations, to comprehensively depict the economic burden. We employed a generalized linear model to identify factors influencing costs and performed statistical comparisons across different demographic and clinical categories.

FINDINGS:
All values are expressed in 2022 Chinese Yuan (¥). A total of 8,804 hospitalized patients were registered. The median total expenditure is ¥38,691 (19680, 49640) (≈ 5749 US dollars), of which the S730 is the lowest ¥23,250 (8627, 31364) (≈ 3455 USD), and the S710 is the highest ¥61,626 (25990, 77122) (≈ 9157 USD). Grouped by year, the median in 2019-2020 was the highest at ¥42,008 (23095, 53281) (≈ 6242 USD), and the lowest in 2015-2016 was ¥30,903 (11517, 42954) (≈ 4592 USD). In terms of surgery type, Shoulder Arthroscopy has the highest median cost of ¥51,550 (40703, 60028) (≈ 7660 USD), and Ankle arthroscopy has the lowest median cost of ¥34,177 (29194, 38209) (≈ 5078 USD). In terms of age, the highest median cost was ¥44,306 (27807, 55588) (≈ 6583 USD) for > 65 years, and the lowest was ¥13,671 (5182, 15899) (≈ 2031 USD) for 1-12 years. Different age groups, genders, years of admission, ICF categories, surgical grades, occupation types, and arthroscopic surgery types significantly affect hospitalization costs.

CONCLUSION:
This study examined various aspects of surgery for sports injuries in Southeast China. Shoulder arthroscopy was the costliest procedure, with disposable medical materials being the primary expense. These findings offer valuable insights into expenditure patterns in this context.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER:
Not applicable.

© The Author(s) 2025

Original language	English
Article number	3
Journal	Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation
Volume	24
Online published	2 Dec 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/s12962-025-00659-z
Publication status	Online published - 2 Dec 2025

Bibliographical note

Funding

Funded by Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2023A0505020008, 2023A1515011860, 2023A1515140076, 2023B1515120006), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFE0206200, 2023YFC2414500), Science and Technology Projects in Guangzhou (2024A03J0971, 2023A03J1015), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82374558, 82074511, 82172440, 81973660), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (21625116, 21623119), Science and technology development fund (FDCT) of Macao (FDCT 0009/2021/AMMJ, FDCT 0032/2022/AGJ, FDCT 0012/2023/EIB2), Science and Technology Innovation and Sports Culture Development Research Project of Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau (GDSS2022M002), the Research Fund Program of Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Speed Capability Research (2023B1212010009), the Open Fund of Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Laboratory of Spine and Spinal Cord Reconstruction (Grant NO. 2023B121203001).

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This full text is made available under CC-BY 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Mok, T.-N., Huang, Z., Ruoyu, N., Guan, J., Zhao, J., Chen, Z., Cheang, L.-H., Tam, M.-S., Fan, D., Yeh, T.-C., Li, S., Wang, H., Zheng, X., & Ming, W.-K. (2026). Economic burden of sports injury in China: result from a single center of medical quality and safety monitor system. Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, 24, Article 3. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12962-025-00659-z

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title = "Economic burden of sports injury in China: result from a single center of medical quality and safety monitor system",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: Sports injuries are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide as sports and physical activities gain popularity. These injuries impose a significant burden on individuals and society. However, a limited understanding of the cost analysis of sports injuries in Southeast China exists. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to explore the medical costs associated with sports injury surgery and related healthcare policies from a hospital perspective. METHODS: We conducted a prospective analysis of inpatient costs for sports injury surgeries at the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University from 2015 to 2022. The total expenditure was categorized into various components: general medical service, nursing service, imaging, rehabilitation, etc. These were analyzed based on the International Classification of Function, Disability, and Health (ICF) system, surgical type, year category, and age. Furthermore, we accessed authoritative economic data, such as standardized occupational salaries and cost estimations, to comprehensively depict the economic burden. We employed a generalized linear model to identify factors influencing costs and performed statistical comparisons across different demographic and clinical categories. FINDINGS: All values are expressed in 2022 Chinese Yuan (¥). A total of 8,804 hospitalized patients were registered. The median total expenditure is ¥38,691 (19680, 49640) (≈ 5749 US dollars), of which the S730 is the lowest ¥23,250 (8627, 31364) (≈ 3455 USD), and the S710 is the highest ¥61,626 (25990, 77122) (≈ 9157 USD). Grouped by year, the median in 2019-2020 was the highest at ¥42,008 (23095, 53281) (≈ 6242 USD), and the lowest in 2015-2016 was ¥30,903 (11517, 42954) (≈ 4592 USD). In terms of surgery type, Shoulder Arthroscopy has the highest median cost of ¥51,550 (40703, 60028) (≈ 7660 USD), and Ankle arthroscopy has the lowest median cost of ¥34,177 (29194, 38209) (≈ 5078 USD). In terms of age, the highest median cost was ¥44,306 (27807, 55588) (≈ 6583 USD) for > 65 years, and the lowest was ¥13,671 (5182, 15899) (≈ 2031 USD) for 1-12 years. Different age groups, genders, years of admission, ICF categories, surgical grades, occupation types, and arthroscopic surgery types significantly affect hospitalization costs. CONCLUSION: This study examined various aspects of surgery for sports injuries in Southeast China. Shoulder arthroscopy was the costliest procedure, with disposable medical materials being the primary expense. These findings offer valuable insights into expenditure patterns in this context. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable. {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2025",

author = "Tsz-Ngai Mok and Zhiguang Huang and Ning Ruoyu and Jian Guan and Jing Zhao and Zihang Chen and Lek-Hang Cheang and Man-Seng Tam and Dongyi Fan and Tien-Cheng Yeh and Sicun Li and Huajun Wang and Xiaofei Zheng and Wai-Kit Ming",

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month = dec,

day = "2",

doi = "10.1186/s12962-025-00659-z",

language = "English",

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Economic burden of sports injury in China: result from a single center of medical quality and safety monitor system. / Mok, Tsz-Ngai (Co-first Author); Huang, Zhiguang (Co-first Author); Ruoyu, Ning (Co-first Author) et al.
In: Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, Vol. 24, 3, 12.2026.

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Economic burden of sports injury in China

T2 - result from a single center of medical quality and safety monitor system

AU - Mok, Tsz-Ngai

AU - Huang, Zhiguang

AU - Ruoyu, Ning

AU - Guan, Jian

AU - Zhao, Jing

AU - Chen, Zihang

AU - Cheang, Lek-Hang

AU - Tam, Man-Seng

AU - Fan, Dongyi

AU - Yeh, Tien-Cheng

AU - Li, Sicun

AU - Wang, Huajun

AU - Zheng, Xiaofei

AU - Ming, Wai-Kit

PY - 2025/12/2

Y1 - 2025/12/2

N2 - BACKGROUND: Sports injuries are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide as sports and physical activities gain popularity. These injuries impose a significant burden on individuals and society. However, a limited understanding of the cost analysis of sports injuries in Southeast China exists. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to explore the medical costs associated with sports injury surgery and related healthcare policies from a hospital perspective. METHODS: We conducted a prospective analysis of inpatient costs for sports injury surgeries at the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University from 2015 to 2022. The total expenditure was categorized into various components: general medical service, nursing service, imaging, rehabilitation, etc. These were analyzed based on the International Classification of Function, Disability, and Health (ICF) system, surgical type, year category, and age. Furthermore, we accessed authoritative economic data, such as standardized occupational salaries and cost estimations, to comprehensively depict the economic burden. We employed a generalized linear model to identify factors influencing costs and performed statistical comparisons across different demographic and clinical categories. FINDINGS: All values are expressed in 2022 Chinese Yuan (¥). A total of 8,804 hospitalized patients were registered. The median total expenditure is ¥38,691 (19680, 49640) (≈ 5749 US dollars), of which the S730 is the lowest ¥23,250 (8627, 31364) (≈ 3455 USD), and the S710 is the highest ¥61,626 (25990, 77122) (≈ 9157 USD). Grouped by year, the median in 2019-2020 was the highest at ¥42,008 (23095, 53281) (≈ 6242 USD), and the lowest in 2015-2016 was ¥30,903 (11517, 42954) (≈ 4592 USD). In terms of surgery type, Shoulder Arthroscopy has the highest median cost of ¥51,550 (40703, 60028) (≈ 7660 USD), and Ankle arthroscopy has the lowest median cost of ¥34,177 (29194, 38209) (≈ 5078 USD). In terms of age, the highest median cost was ¥44,306 (27807, 55588) (≈ 6583 USD) for > 65 years, and the lowest was ¥13,671 (5182, 15899) (≈ 2031 USD) for 1-12 years. Different age groups, genders, years of admission, ICF categories, surgical grades, occupation types, and arthroscopic surgery types significantly affect hospitalization costs. CONCLUSION: This study examined various aspects of surgery for sports injuries in Southeast China. Shoulder arthroscopy was the costliest procedure, with disposable medical materials being the primary expense. These findings offer valuable insights into expenditure patterns in this context. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable. © The Author(s) 2025

AB - BACKGROUND: Sports injuries are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide as sports and physical activities gain popularity. These injuries impose a significant burden on individuals and society. However, a limited understanding of the cost analysis of sports injuries in Southeast China exists. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to explore the medical costs associated with sports injury surgery and related healthcare policies from a hospital perspective. METHODS: We conducted a prospective analysis of inpatient costs for sports injury surgeries at the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University from 2015 to 2022. The total expenditure was categorized into various components: general medical service, nursing service, imaging, rehabilitation, etc. These were analyzed based on the International Classification of Function, Disability, and Health (ICF) system, surgical type, year category, and age. Furthermore, we accessed authoritative economic data, such as standardized occupational salaries and cost estimations, to comprehensively depict the economic burden. We employed a generalized linear model to identify factors influencing costs and performed statistical comparisons across different demographic and clinical categories. FINDINGS: All values are expressed in 2022 Chinese Yuan (¥). A total of 8,804 hospitalized patients were registered. The median total expenditure is ¥38,691 (19680, 49640) (≈ 5749 US dollars), of which the S730 is the lowest ¥23,250 (8627, 31364) (≈ 3455 USD), and the S710 is the highest ¥61,626 (25990, 77122) (≈ 9157 USD). Grouped by year, the median in 2019-2020 was the highest at ¥42,008 (23095, 53281) (≈ 6242 USD), and the lowest in 2015-2016 was ¥30,903 (11517, 42954) (≈ 4592 USD). In terms of surgery type, Shoulder Arthroscopy has the highest median cost of ¥51,550 (40703, 60028) (≈ 7660 USD), and Ankle arthroscopy has the lowest median cost of ¥34,177 (29194, 38209) (≈ 5078 USD). In terms of age, the highest median cost was ¥44,306 (27807, 55588) (≈ 6583 USD) for > 65 years, and the lowest was ¥13,671 (5182, 15899) (≈ 2031 USD) for 1-12 years. Different age groups, genders, years of admission, ICF categories, surgical grades, occupation types, and arthroscopic surgery types significantly affect hospitalization costs. CONCLUSION: This study examined various aspects of surgery for sports injuries in Southeast China. Shoulder arthroscopy was the costliest procedure, with disposable medical materials being the primary expense. These findings offer valuable insights into expenditure patterns in this context. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable. © The Author(s) 2025

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DO - 10.1186/s12962-025-00659-z

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

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SN - 1478-7547

VL - 24

JO - Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation

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Economic burden of sports injury in China: result from a single center of medical quality and safety monitor system

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

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