Objective  To explore the benefit of the pneumoconiosis rehabilitation station for pneumoconiosis patients in both their rehabilitation and reducing the economic burden.

  Methods  The retrospective epidemiological surveys were carried out in October 2018 and October 2019, respectively. The general conditions of pneumoconiosis patients in the pneumoconiosis rehabilitation stations, the number of outpatient visits and hospitalizations, and the costs for these treatments in the past year were investigated, and the direct economic loss of pneumoconiosis patients was analyzed. The subjects included in the 2018 survey were those who had just entered the rehabilitation station and had not yet undergone rehabilitation training, while the subjects included in the 2019 survey were those who had entered the rehabilitation station after October 2018 to carry out rehabilitation training and had completed more than two courses of rehabilitation training.

  Results  A total of 82 male pneumoconiosis patients were investigated in 2018, and 142 male cases were investigated in 2019. In 2019, the median (P₂₅, P₇₅) of the average number of outpatient visits and outpatient expenses, hospitalization times, and hospitalization expenses of pneumoconiosis patients who had received pneumoconiosis rehabilitation training were 4 (2, 6) times and 10 000 (3 000, 13 500) yuan, 4.5 (2, 6) times and 20 000 (9 450, 30 000) yuan, respectively. All these were lower than those of the pneumoconiosis patients who did not undergo rehabilitation training in 2018, with the average number of outpatient visits 2 (1, 5) times, outpatient expenses 400 (120, 1 136) yuan, hospitalization expenses 2 (1, 3) times, and hospitalization expenses 3 000 (285, 8 250) yuan, and the difference was significant (P < 0.05).

  Conclusions  The direct economic loss of pneumoconiosis patients is relatively high. The systemic intervention therapy in the pneumoconiosis rehabilitation station can reduce the economic loss of pneumoconiosis patients.