Project Spotlight
Use Case - Study Reveals Economic Burden of COPD in Singapore’s Healthcare System
1 July 2025
A groundbreaking study led by a research team at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, using health administrative data on TRUST, has uncovered significant economic implications of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and its associated conditions.
Using data spanning 2012 to 2019, the research team compared 18,866 COPD patients with matched non-COPD individuals using the TRUST platform.
The findings reveal that COPD patients incur healthcare costs five times higher than their non-COPD counterparts, averaging S$5,290.90 per patient-year. COPD-related expenses account for 33.8% of total costs, with cardiovascular and non-COPD respiratory diseases each contributing 14.9%. Hospitalisation emerged as the primary cost driver, representing 70.1% of total expenses. The study also found distinct cost composition patterns unique to Asian phenotypes when compared to Western populations.
Demographic analysis showed that males aged 65 and above faced the highest healthcare costs, averaging S$5,658.80 per patient-year. The study identified that high-cost patients, comprising the top 10% of healthcare users, incurred these costs primarily through recurrent hospitalisation.
The findings highlight the urgent need for improved COPD management strategies and suggest that effective handling of COPD-related comorbidities could significantly reduce the economic burden on Singapore's healthcare system. This could include better coordination among care providers to enable earlier-stage diagnosis and further investigation into Asian populations to develop Asian-specific strategies. The study's comprehensive approach using long-term healthcare data provides valuable insights into future healthcare planning and resource allocation.