ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research最新文献

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a multisystem condition destined to become pandemic in the coming decades. This study aimed at evaluating the economic impact of MASLD in the Italian population from the Italian National Healthcare Service (NHS) perspective.

Methods: The economic impact of the MASLD was assessed by developing a calculation model in Microsoft Excel^® from the Italian NHS perspective, considering healthcare resources and direct costs. The target population was based on the prevalence data. Through a literature search, complications of MASLD were identified, including MASH, with relative risk of evolution into CC, DCC, HCC, T2DM, cardiovascular diseases, in particular AMI and stroke, CKD, and CRC. The differential impact between complication development in the population with MASLD and the same sample size population without-MASLD was evaluated. Differential risk data, mortality rates, and event unit costs were drawn from the published international literature. Frequency and cost data were applied to the total target population, the total annual costs and mortality data, referring to the two arms, were then calculated, and the differential value was obtained.

Results: Based on an estimated 11,546,370 MASLD target population, an annual illness impact of €12,251,631,822 was calculated, corresponding to a difference of €7,731,674,054 compared with the same sample size without MASLD. Moreover, the MASLD population is expected to experience 13,438 additional deaths annually.

Conclusion: The growing epidemiological impact of MASLD and its complications represent a huge economic burden for healthcare services worldwide. An integrated approach, including changes in lifestyle behaviors, will be the first step. Specific drugs for MASLD are not yet available; however, studies are underway, and combined pharmaceutical therapies may be an inevitable choice to achieve adequate control of MASLD and its complications.

Purpose: This study aimed to estimate the costs associated with adverse events (AEs) in advanced lung cancer patients treated with first-line therapies.

Subjects and methods: All patients with advanced lung cancer diagnosed between 2011 and 2019 were identified from the Taiwan National Cancer Registry. First-line treatment was defined as a therapy that began within 30 days before and 90 days after the diagnosis. We defined a newly-developed AE as one established after first-line treatment had commenced, with the contingency that the patient had not been diagnosed with the AE within one year prior to the outset of therapy. One patient with a specific AE was matched on age, sex, and regimens with four patients without the AE. Payments incurred over the same period of time in the two groups were compared to estimate the AE-related costs.

Results: A total of 27,376 patients receiving first-line targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or chemotherapy were identified. Clinical characteristics of 15,454 treatment episodes with a specific AE and 61,816 treatment episodes without the AE were well balanced. The costliest AEs of any severity were sepsis/septicemia, neuropathy, and acute kidney injury, with the respective average incremental costs of 10101, 9982, and 7839 USD. The costliest severe AEs requiring hospitalization were sepsis/septicemia, interstitial lung disease/pneumonitis, and neuropathy, with mean incremental costs of 22483, 10645, and 10120 USD, respectively.

Conclusion: Costs associated with AEs in advanced lung cancer patients treated with first-line therapies were substantial. These estimates could be adopted for future cost-effectiveness analyses of new lung cancer treatments.

Background: Bilateral hip arthroplasty is a common surgical intervention for patients with bilateral hip disease. The decision between simultaneous versus staged procedures remains debated, primarily due to concerns over cost, postoperative recovery, and complication rates. This study aimed to evaluate the economic burden and clinical outcomes of simultaneous versus staged bilateral hip arthroplasty.

Methods: In this single-center, prospective study, patients who underwent bilateral hip replacement at XXX between 2021 and 2022 were included. Participants were divided into groups based on the surgical approach: simultaneous bilateral hip arthroplasty or staged bilateral hip arthroplasty. Data on costs, operation times, hospital stay lengths, and postoperative outcomes were collected and analyzed.

Results: A total of 57 patients were studied, with 45 undergoing simultaneous and 12 staged surgeries. The total cost for staged procedures was significantly higher, with a mean difference of 63,967.54 yuan compared to simultaneous procedures. No significant difference was found in prosthesis costs between the groups. Operation times and hospital stays did not significantly differ, with averages closely aligned between the simultaneous (operation time: 3.2 hours, hospital stay: 5 days) and staged groups (operation time: 3.4 hours, hospital stay: 5.2 days). The obesity rate was higher in the simultaneous group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Simultaneous bilateral hip arthroplasty appears to be an economically favorable option, with comparable perioperative and immediate postoperative outcomes to staged procedures. These insights have significant implications for clinical practice and policy-making, suggesting that simultaneous procedures can be safely implemented for appropriate patients, potentially optimizing healthcare resources.

Over 40,000 patients in the United States (US) require hospitalization for burns annually. The treatment regimen can cost more than $6,000 a day and requires the use of numerous supplies to ensure the graft takes for successful wound healing. Irrigation of the wound is a critical step for burn treatment, yet little is known about the cost-effectiveness of different irrigation modalities. In a recent study, pure hypochlorous acid preserved wound cleanser (pHA) was shown to be safe and effective compared to mafenide. This study estimated the associated costs of two common wound irrigation modalities, pHA and mafenide solution, for the treatment of patients with burns. In this study, a patient-level Monte Carlo simulation model using data from a randomized control trial (RCT) was used to conduct the cost analysis from the US Hospital perspective. Based upon 100,000 simulated patients, pHA was expected to save $133 ($123 to $144, 10^th to 90^th percentile) for the hospital compared to using a mafenide solution over 14 days. Adoption of pHA should be considered a cost-saving strategy when treating patients with burns.

Purpose: To model the potential clinical and economic impact of blister-packaging medications for chronic conditions on medication adherence and healthcare costs in a commercially insured population.

Methods: A health economic model was developed to evaluate the potential impact of blister-packaging chronic medications for a commercially insured population. The chronic medication classes assessed were renin-angiotensin-system (RAS) antagonists, statins, non-insulin oral antidiabetics, and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). The model was designed to reflect the perspective of a hypothetical commercially insured health plan with 100,000 members, over a one-year time horizon. Literature-based or best available epidemiologic references were used to inform the number of patients utilizing each medication class, the impact of blister-packaging on the number of patients who become adherent, as well as the impact of medication adherence in a commercially insured population on healthcare costs for each medication class assessed. Impact on costs was measured in total net healthcare costs, as well as being stratified by medical costs and medication costs.

Results: Following the blister-packaging intervention, there were an additional 591 patients adherent to RAS antagonists, 1196 patients adherent to statins, 169 patients adherent to oral antidiabetics, and 25 patients adherent to DOACs. While pharmacy costs increased, these costs were more than offset by the reduction in medical costs. Overall, the increase in patients adherent to therapy due to blister-packaging led to a reduction in total healthcare costs of $879,312 for RAS antagonists (-$0.73 per-member per-month (PMPM)), $343,322 for statins (-$0.29 PMPM), $78,917 for oral antidiabetics (-$0.07 PMPM), and $120,793 for DOACs (-$0.10 PMPM).

Conclusion: Blister-packaging chronic medications in a commercially insured population has the potential to reduce healthcare costs. Future research is needed to confirm these findings in real-world settings and to fully understand the clinical and economic implications of blister-packaging chronic medications.

Background: Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) compares interventions based on relative value and is an integral part of value assessment. Despite recommendations for economists to consider disparities in CEAs that impact health-care resource allocation decisions, the perception held by stakeholders is that value assessment frameworks are inconsistent in practice.

Methods: We reviewed value assessment reports produced by a United States (US)-based value assessment organization to identify how patients and caregiver input may contribute to how the organization considers health disparities. We purposefully extracted and categorized information relevant to health disparities from report sections on Patient and Caregiver Perspectives and Contextual Considerations and Other Potential Benefits to represent the data acknowledged by the organization's patient engagement efforts. We conducted a thematic analysis of the text in these sections and mapped to a health disparities framework endorsed by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).

Results: Nineteen evidence reports were included in our analysis. We identified 30 equity-related themes from external stakeholder perspectives or acknowledged in the report and 17 equity-related themes that reflect the actions taken by the economic model developers to address health disparities as a formal part of the CEA. We found examples of the value assessment organization explicitly considering health disparities in cost-effectiveness estimates. However, explicit considerations were not consistent across reports and were not necessarily aligned with patient and caregiver input during model development or consistent with the organization's own contextual considerations.

Conclusion: Our findings highlight the need for a systematic approach for the consideration of health disparities within a value assessment framework and more transparency around how final cost-effectiveness approaches are determined.

Background: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis presents a challenging obstacle in global TB control. It necessitates complex and long-term therapy, which can potentially lead to medication-related burdens that may ultimately reduce therapy adherence and quality of life.

Purpose: This study aimed to gain a deep understanding of the medication-related burdens experienced by multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients.

Methods: The study was conducted using a convergent mixed-method approach involving MDR-TB patients and their caregivers. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews, while quantitative data were gathered using the validated Living with Medicine Questionnaire 3. In the quantitative part, associations between patients' characteristics and burden levels were analysed using bivariate and multivariate analyses.

Results: Seventy-four participants were involved in the study, with 71 of them completing the questionnaire and 36 participating in interviews. The qualitative results revealed the subjectivity of medication-related burden perception, which could not be fully captured by the quantitative method. Four themes of medication-related burdens emerged: personal beliefs, regimen burdens, socioeconomic burdens, and healthcare burdens. The quantitative results provided a generalized representation of the population. Age and side effects were found to be significantly associated with higher burden levels, with those aged 18-30 having an odds ratio (OR) of 7.303 (95% CI: 1.045-51.034), and those aged 31-40 having an OR of 6.53 (95% CI: 1.077-39.607). Additionally, experiencing side effects had a substantial impact, with an OR of 46.602 (95% CI: 2.825-768.894). Both sets of results are valuable for designing patient-centered care.

Conclusion: MDR-TB therapy imposes a significant burden, particularly regarding the characteristics of regimen. By understanding this burden, healthcare professionals can help improve the quality of life for these patients.

Background: The adoption of remote monitoring (RM) is especially relevant for patients with implantable cardiac devices due to their high risk of hospitalization and the need for frequent outpatient visits. Though RM can help with early detection of cardiac episodes, it may also increase the number of tasks healthcare providers engage in to monitor patients' health. The adoption of RM may increase healthcare providers' workloads, potentially impacting the quality of care and increasing the risk of clinician-provider burnout. Little is known about the link between RM adoption and changes in healthcare providers' workloads.

Methods: Using data from a non-randomized clinical trial conducted in 2021-2022 at a University Hospital in Korea, we examined the relationship between RM adoption and changes in patient time savings and healthcare providers' workloads. The clinical trial included patients with a cardiac implantable electronic device compatible with the Biotronik Home Monitoring System.

Results: For patients, RM was associated with a 41-minute decrease in total visit duration, attributed to reductions in both wait time (37 minutes; P<0.001) and total examination time (3.7 minutes; P=0.137). For healthcare providers, RM was linked to an increase in overall workload by 107.9 minutes per patient. The increase was primarily due to managing RM alerts (91.8 minutes) and preparing monthly patient reports (19.9 minutes). Our findings suggest that RM was associated with a decrease of 1540 KRW (44%) in average cost of care per minute.

Conclusion: RM is associated with time-saving patient benefits and increased healthcare providers' workloads. Even though this was a single-center study with a small number of patients, our research highlights the importance of carefully examining changes in healthcare staff workloads linked to the adoption of RM within the national health insurance system.

Background: Automated Drug Dispensing (ADD) systems are considered to be strategic hospital assets used to reduce errors and enhance economic and organizational sustainability. With regards to efficacy and safety, the literature evidence demonstrates the incremental benefits of centralised or decentralised systems compared to manual dispensing. Analyses about organisational and economic sustainability are still lacking and the present study aims to perform a Health Technology Assessment (HTA), producing multidimensional evidence on the use of ADD systems within hospitals.

Methods: In 2023, a comprehensive HTA draws insights from healthcare professionals across six European nations: Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Belgium. This appraisal juxtaposed four drug dispensing scenarios: manual methods, centralized ADD systems, decentralized ADD systems, and integrated solutions employing cutting-edge technologies in both central pharmacies and wards. The study deployed an Activity-Based Costing approach that was combined with a cost-effectiveness and Budget Impact Analysis to evaluate economic impacts. Qualitative questionnaires were implemented to assess ethical, legal, organizational, safety, and efficacy aspects.

Results: From a multidimensional perspective, healthcare professionals acknowledged ADD manifold advantages of ADD systems. From an organizational perspective and within a 12-month timeframe, transitioning to automation may face initial challenges that are attributed to potential resistance from professionals and significant investments. However, 36 months past its adoption, automation's superiority over manual methods was recognized. Economically, savings burgeoned from +17.9% in UK to +26.6% in Belgian hospitals that adopted integrated systems in comparison to traditional manual approaches.

Conclusion: Compared to traditional methods, implementing ADD systems could improve the logistic management of drug in the hospital setting, thereby enhancing safety and efficacy, streamlining the healthcare professionals' workflow, and bolstering financial stability.