scholarly journals Cost-effectiveness of a novel smartphone application to mobilize first responders after witnessed OHCA in Belgium

Author(s):  
Steven Vercammen ◽  
Esther Moens

Abstract Background EVapp (Emergency Volunteer Application) is a Belgian smartphone application that mobilizes volunteers to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation with publicly available automatic external defibrillators (AED) after an emergency call for suspected out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The aim is to bridge the time before the arrival of the emergency services. Methods An accessible model was developed, using literature data, to simulate survival and cost-effectiveness of nation-wide EVapp implementation. Initial validation was performed using field data from a first pilot study of EVapp implementation in a city in Flanders, covering 2.5 years of implementation. Results Simulation of nation-wide EVapp implementation resulted in an additional yearly 910 QALY gained over the current baseline case scenario (worst case 632; best case 3204). The cost per QALY associated with EVapp implementation was comparable to the baseline scenario, i.e., 17 vs 18 k€ QALY−1. Conclusions EVapp implementation was associated with a positive balance on amount of QALY gained and cost of QALY. This was a consequence of both the lower healthcare costs for patients with good neurological outcome and the more efficient use of yet available resources, which did not outweigh the costs of operation.

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Funada ◽  
Yoshikazu Goto ◽  
Masayuki Takamura

Introduction: Neurological outcomes and the appropriate duration from call receipt to termination of resuscitation (TOR) in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) could differ according to patient characteristics. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that a prediction chart comprising prehospital variables, including age, could be useful for predicting neurological outcomes and determining the time to TOR in the field or at the emergency department. Methods: We evaluated 19,829 elderly patients with OHCA (age ≥65 years) of cardiac origin who achieved prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Data were obtained from the prospectively recorded All-Japan Utstein Registry between 2011 and 2016. Patients with OHCA witnessed by emergency medical service providers were excluded. The primary outcome was 1-month neurologically intact survival, defined as a cerebral performance category (CPC) score of 1-2. Patients with OHCA were divided into 12 groups according to shockable rhythm (YES/NO), witness status (YES/NO), and age (65-74, 75-89, or ≥90 years). The time from call receipt to ROSC was calculated and categorized by 5-min intervals. The time from call receipt to ROSC at which the probability of 1-month CPC 1-2 decreased to <1% was defined as the call to TOR duration. Results: The overall 1-month CPC 1-2 rate was 18.9% (n = 3,756). When stratified by patient characteristics, the 1-month CPC 1-2 rates ranged from 52.3% in patients aged 65-74 years with shockable rhythm and witnessed OHCA (best-case scenario) to 1.6% in patients aged ≥90 years with non-shockable rhythm and un-witnessed OHCA (worst-case scenario). The corresponding call to TOR duration ranged from 35 to 10 min (Table). Conclusions: Neurological outcomes and the appropriate call to TOR duration differed according to patient characteristics, including age. Our prediction chart for elderly patients with OHCA could be useful for determining TOR in the field or at the emergency department.


1999 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Whang ◽  
Jane E. Sisk ◽  
Daniel F. Heitjan ◽  
Alan J. Moskowitz

Objectives: We explore the policy implications of probabilistic sensitivity analysis in cost-effectiveness analysis by applying simulation methods to a decision model.Methods: We present the multiway sensitivity analysis results of a study of the cost-effectiveness of vaccination against pneumococcal bacteremia in the elderly. We then execute a probabilistic sensitivity analysis of the cost-effectiveness ratio by specifying posterior distributions for the uncertain parameters in our decision analysis model. In order to estimate probability intervals, we rank the numerical values of the simulated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) to take into account preferences along the cost-effectiveness plane.Results: The 95% probability intervals for the ICER were generally much narrower than the difference between the best case and worst case results from a multiway sensitivity analysis. Although the multiway sensitivity analysis had indicated that, in the worst case, vaccination in the 85 and older age group was not acceptable from a policy standpoint, probabilistic methods indicated that the cost-effectiveness of vaccination was below $50,000 per quality-adjusted life-year in greater than 92% of the simulations and below $100,000 in greater than 95% of the simulations.Conclusions: Probabilistic methods can supplement multiway sensitivity analyses to provide a more comprehensive picture of the uncertainty associated with cost-effectiveness ratios and thereby inform policy decisions.


2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 272-272
Author(s):  
Thejus T. Jayakrishnan ◽  
Hasan Nadeem ◽  
Ryan Thomas Groeschl ◽  
Anthony J Zacharias ◽  
T. Clark Gamblin ◽  
...  

272 Background: In addition to a diagnostic laparoscopy (DL), aroutine laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) has been proposed to identify undetected hepatic metastases and/or anatomically advanced disease in patients with T2 or higher gall bladder cancer (GBC) planned for surgical resection. It was hypothesized that a routine LUS is not a cost-effective strategy for these patients. Methods: Decision tree modeling was undertaken to compare DL-LUS vs. DL at the time of definitive resection of GBC (with no prior cholecystectomy). Costs in US dollars (payers’ perspective), quality-adjusted-life-weeks (QALWs) and incremental-cost-effectiveness-ratios (ICER) were calculated (horizon: 6 weeks, willingness-to-pay: $1,000/QALW or $50,000/ QALY). Results: DL-LUS was cost effective at the base case scenario (costs: $30,838 for DL vs. $30,791 for DL-LUS and effectiveness 3.81 QALWs DL vs. 3.82 QALW DL-LUS, resulting in a cost reduction of $9,220 per quality adjusted life week gained (or $479,469 per QALY). DL-LUS became less cost effective as the cost of ultrasound increased (threshold: $163.18) or the probability of exclusion from resection decreased (threshold 0.29) (Table represents the results of univariate analyses). Conclusions: Routine LUS with diagnostic laparoscopy for the assessment of resectability and exclusion of metastases is cost effective for patients with GBC. Until improvements in pre-operative imaging occur to decrease the probability of exclusion, this appears to be a feasible strategy. [Table: see text]


2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Mathes ◽  
Dawid Pieper ◽  
Sunya-Lee Antoine ◽  
Michaela Eikermann

Objectives: The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of interventions aiming to increase the adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-infected patients in developed countries (WHO stratum A).Methods: A systematic search for comparative health economic studies was conducted in the following databases: EMBASE, MEDLINE, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, CINAHL, HEED, and EconLit. The identified publications were selected by two reviewers independently according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Furthermore, these were evaluated according to a standardized checklist and finally extracted, analyzed, and summarized.Results: After reviewing the abstracts and full texts four relevant studies were identified. Different educational programs were compared as well as the Directly Observed Therapy (DOT). A critical aspect to be considered in particular was the poor transparency of the cost data. In three cost-utility analyses the costs per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) in the baseline scenario were each under USD 15,000. The sensitivity analyses with a presumed maximum threshold of USD 50,000/QALY showed a predominantly cost-effective result. In one study that examined DOT the costs add up to over USD 150,000/QALY.Conclusions: It seems that adherence interventions for HAART in HIV-infected patients can be cost-effective. Nevertheless, the quality of the included studies is deficient and only a few of the possible adherence interventions are taken into consideration. A final assessment of the cost-effectiveness of adherence interventions in general is, therefore, not possible.


1993 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 1021-1027
Author(s):  
J C Hornberger

Case-mix adjusted mortality rates for patients undergoing hemodialysis for ESRD increased during the 1980s, despite the introduction of advanced dialysis technologies. Variations in dialysis practices suggest that excess mortality may be caused by inadequate uremic-toxin clearances. Cost-effectiveness analysis was used to assess whether attempts to improve uremic-toxin clearance are cost effective, assuming that these therapies are clinically effective. The medical literature was surveyed by the use of MEDLINE to assess the likelihood of clinical outcomes on the basis of the type of treatment given to the patient. Options considered in the model were delivered fractional urea clearance (Kt/V), dialysis-treatment duration, type of dialyzer membrane, dialysate, and ultrafiltration. Clinical outcomes included in the model were survival, severity of uremic symptoms, hospital days per year, and intradialytic hypotension and symptoms. Lifetime costs were calculated from data collected from a northern California dialysis center and abstracted from the literature. In the base-case scenario, it was assumed that increasing Kt/V to levels greater than 1 was effective in reducing morbidity and mortality. Under these assumptions, outpatient cost increased significantly, but the cost effectiveness of Kt/V equal to 1.5 was less than $50,000 per quality-adjusted life-year saved. These calculations indicate that, if higher levels of Kt/V prove clinically effective, they are also cost effective.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii176-ii176
Author(s):  
Nima Hamidi ◽  
Ajay Fernandez ◽  
Kyle Tuohy ◽  
Alireza Mansouri

Abstract BACKGROUND Diffuse low-grade gliomas (DLGGs, WHO Grade II gliomas) comprise 13-16% of all primary brain tumors. Although there has been a paradigmatic shift toward upfront maximal safe resection (MSR) for these heterogeneous tumors, it is important to consider the health economic perspective of this approach, compared with the traditional watch-and-wait approach, as well. OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review of the health economic literature on the range of DLGG management options. METHODS Following the PRISMA guidelines, Medline, EMBASE, The Central Registration Depository (CRD), EconPapers, and EconLit were searched for ‘cost-effectiveness’, ‘health economics’ and ‘Low-grade glioma’. Grade I tumors were excluded. Pre-specified variables were extracted. All currencies were converted to USD. RESULTS Among 258 abstracts, 28 were selected for full-text screening, and 3 were selected for this review. A European study evaluated the role of intraoperative electrical stimulation (IES). Although IES was associated with higher direct costs upfront ($38,662.70 vs $32,116.10), this was offset by less long-term indirect costs ($12,222.30 vs $31,927.10; p=0.023), greater QALY (4.8 vs 2.9; p=0.001), and an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $1,842.50. Another study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of adjuvant PCV+RT vs RT alone, finding greater QALY for the former (9.94 vs 5.17) and an ICER of $10,186 per QALY gained. A third study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of adding 18F-fluoroethyl-L-tyrosine (FET) PET to MRI, compared to preoperative MRI alone. This resulted in an ICER of $7,193.58 for the baseline scenario (lowest reimbursement) and $10,236.12 for the morbidity-adjusted reimbursement rate scenario (highest reimbursement). There were no studies evaluating the health economics of maximal upfront surgical resection to the watch-and-wait approach. CONCLUSION We found a limited number of studies reporting on the health economics of DLGGs. Given the paradigmatic transition toward more aggressive upfront surgical resection, DLGG-specific health economic analyses are underway.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akash R Wasil ◽  
Corinne Kacmarek ◽  
Tom L Osborn ◽  
Emma Palermo ◽  
Robert DeRubeis ◽  
...  

Objective: To evaluate the costs and cost-effectiveness of Shamiri-Digital, an online single-session intervention (SSI) for depression among Kenyan adolescents. Method: Data were drawn from a randomized clinical trial with n=103 Kenyan high school students (64% female, Mage=15.5). All students were eligible to participate, regardless of baseline depression symptomatology. We estimated delivery costs in 2020 US dollars from multiple perspectives. To account for uncertainty, we performed sensitivity analyses with different cost assumptions and definitions of effectiveness. Using number needed to treat (NNT) estimates, we also evaluated the cost required to achieve a clinically meaningful reduction in depressive symptoms.Results: In the base-case (the most realistic cost estimate), it cost US $3.57 per student to deliver Shamiri-Digital. Depending on the definition of clinically meaningful improvement, 7.1 to 9.7 students needed to receive the intervention for one student to experience a clinically meaningful improvement, which translated to a cost of US $25.35 to US $34.62 per student. Under a worst-case scenario (i.e., assuming the highest treatment cost and the strictest effectiveness definition), the cost to achieve clinically meaningful improvement was US $92.05 per student.Conclusions: Shamiri-Digital is a low-cost intervention for reducing depression symptomatology, especially relative to traditional psychotherapies. The public health benefit of empirically supported SSIs could be especially important in low-income countries, where funding for mental health care is most limited. Future research can compare the cost-effectiveness of online SSIs to higher-cost treatments and estimate the robustness of Shamiri-Digital’s effects over a longer time horizon.


Author(s):  
Xiao Zang ◽  
Emanuel Krebs ◽  
Siyuan Chen ◽  
Micah Piske ◽  
Wendy S Armstrong ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Widespread viral and serological testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may present a unique opportunity to also test for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We estimated the potential impact of adding linked, opt-out HIV testing alongside SARS-CoV-2 testing on the HIV incidence and the cost-effectiveness of this strategy in 6 US cities. Methods Using a previously calibrated dynamic HIV transmission model, we constructed 3 sets of scenarios for each city: (1) sustained current levels of HIV-related treatment and prevention services (status quo); (2) temporary disruptions in health services and changes in sexual and injection risk behaviors at discrete levels between 0%–50%; and (3) linked HIV and SARS-CoV-2 testing offered to 10%–90% of the adult population in addition to Scenario 2. We estimated the cumulative number of HIV infections between 2020–2025 and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of linked HIV testing over 20 years. Results In the absence of linked, opt-out HIV testing, we estimated a total of a 16.5% decrease in HIV infections between 2020–2025 in the best-case scenario (50% reduction in risk behaviors and no service disruptions), and a 9.0% increase in the worst-case scenario (no behavioral change and 50% reduction in service access). We estimated that HIV testing (offered at 10%–90% levels) could avert a total of 576–7225 (1.6%–17.2%) new infections. The intervention would require an initial investment of $20.6M–$220.7M across cities; however, the intervention would ultimately result in savings in health-care costs in each city. Conclusions A campaign in which HIV testing is linked with SARS-CoV-2 testing could substantially reduce the HIV incidence and reduce direct and indirect health care costs attributable to HIV.


Resuscitation ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 142 ◽  
pp. e4-e5
Author(s):  
Johannes von Vopelius-Feldt ◽  
Richard Morris ◽  
Jane Powell ◽  
Jonathan Benger

2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (12) ◽  
pp. 1119-1127 ◽  
Author(s):  
J F Guest ◽  
K Rana ◽  
C Hopkins

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of Coblation compared with cold steel tonsillectomy in adult and paediatric patients in the UK.MethodDecision analysis was undertaken by combining published clinical outcomes with resource utilisation estimates derived from a panel of clinicians.ResultsUsing a cold steel procedure instead of Coblation is expected to generate an incremental cost of more than £2000 for each additional avoided haemorrhage, and the probability of cold steel being cost-effective was approximately 0.50. Therefore, the cost-effectiveness of the two techniques was comparable. When the published clinical outcomes were replaced with clinicians’ estimates of current practice, Coblation was found to improve outcome for less cost, and the probability of Coblation being cost-effective was at least 0.70.ConclusionA best-case scenario suggests Coblation affords the National Health Service a cost-effective intervention for tonsillectomy in adult and paediatric patients compared with cold steel procedures. A worst-case scenario suggests Coblation affords the National Health Service an equivalent cost-effective intervention for adult and paediatric patients.


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