scholarly journals INFLUENCE OF FALLS REDUCTION ON THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVANCED HYDRAULIC MICROPROCESSOR CONTROLLED KNEE PROTHESES IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH LOWER LIMB AMPUTATIONS

Author(s):  
Henning Krüger ◽  
Andreas Hahn ◽  
Alexander Kuhlmann

INTRODUCTION The assessment of cost-effectiveness and the use of health economical methods becomes of increasing importance when evaluating the impact of modern medical technology. The cost effectiveness of advanced hydraulic microprocessor controlled knees (MPKs) had recently by shown by RAND 1. A new generation of advanced hydraulic microprocessor controlled knee (MPK) components became available to address specifically the needs of elderly individuals The reduction of concomitant factors such as falls may significantly improve cost-effectiveness. Abstract PDF  Link: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cpoj/article/view/32041/24455 How to cite: Krüger H, Hahn A, Kuhlmann A. INFLUENCE OF FALLS REDUCTION ON THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVANCED HYDRAULIC MICROPROCESSOR CONTROLLED KNEE PROTHESES IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH LOWER LIMB AMPUTATIONS. CANADIAN PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS JOURNAL, VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2, 2018; ABSTRACT, ORAL PRESENTATION AT THE AOPA’S 101ST NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, SEPT. 26-29, VANCOUVER, CANADA, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v1i2.32041                                                                           Abstracts were Peer-reviewed by the American Orthotic Prosthetic Association (AOPA) 101st National Assembly Scientific Committee.  http://www.aopanet.org/

2000 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 259-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel T Ariaratnam ◽  
Erez N Allouche ◽  
Kevin W Biggar

Sampling using horizontal directional drilling allows the collection of soil samples from suspected zones located beneath structures and other surface-subsurface obstacles. However, current horizontal sampling techniques are time consuming and thus expensive. This paper describes the design and testing of a new multiple-port sampler for collection of soil samples from directionally drilled boreholes. The device uses a new methodology for horizontal sampling to improve cost-effectiveness and sample quality.Key words: horizontal directional drilling, horizontal wells, design, remediation, site characterization, sampling.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0244851
Author(s):  
Victory ‘Segun Ezeofor ◽  
Nathan Bray ◽  
Lucy Bryning ◽  
Farina Hashmi ◽  
Henrik Hoel ◽  
...  

Background Critical limb ischaemia is a severe stage of lower limb peripheral artery disease which can lead to tissue loss, gangrene, amputation and death. FlowOx™ therapy is a novel negative-pressure chamber system intended for home use to increase blood flow, reduce pain and improve wound healing for patients with peripheral artery disease and critical limb ischaemia. Methods A Markov model was constructed to assess the relative cost-effectiveness of FlowOx™ therapy compared to standard care in lower limb peripheral artery disease patients with intermittent claudication or critical limb ischaemia. The model used data from two European trials of FlowOx™ therapy and published evidence on disease progression. From an NHS analysis perspective, various FlowOx™ therapy scenarios were modelled by adjusting the dose of FlowOx™ therapy and the amount of other care received alongside FlowOx™ therapy, in comparison to standard care. Results In the base case analysis, consisting of FlowOx™ therapy plus nominal care, the cost estimates were £12,704 for a single dose of FlowOx™ therapy per annum as compared with £15,523 for standard care. FlowOx™ therapy patients gained 0.27 additional quality adjusted life years compared to standard care patients. This equated to a dominant incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per QALY gained. At the NICE threshold WTP of £20,000 and £30,000 per QALY gained, FlowOx™ therapy in addition to standard care had a 0.80 and 1.00 probability of being cost-effectiveness respectively. Conclusions FlowOx™ therapy delivered as a single annual dose may be a cost-effective treatment for peripheral artery disease. FlowOx™ therapy improved health outcomes and reduced treatment costs in this modelled cohort. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of FlowOx™ therapy is susceptible to disease severity, adherence, dose and treatment cost. Research assessing the impact of FlowOx™ therapy on NHS resource use is needed in order to provide a definitive economic evaluation.


Author(s):  
V.V. Verna

The article provides a rationale for methodological approaches to assessing the effectiveness of outsourcing in organizations of the construction industry using the example of outsourcing schemes to perform personnel functions. The conditional example shows the impact of the use of outsourcing on reducing the costs of a construction organization. The main prerequisites for the use of outsourcing in the activities of enterprises in the construction industry are identified, methodological approaches to assessing the cost-effectiveness of personnel outsourcing in the construction industry enterprises are substantiated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Obinna Ikechukwu Ekwunife ◽  
Chinelo Janefrances Ofomata ◽  
Charles Ebuka Okafor ◽  
Maureen Ugonwa Anetoh ◽  
Stephen Okorafor Kalu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In sub-Saharan Africa, there is increasing mortality and morbidity of adolescents due to poor linkage, retention in HIV care and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). This is a result of limited adolescent-centred service delivery interventions. This cost-effectiveness and feasibility study were piggybacked on a cluster-randomized trial that assessed the impact of an adolescent-centred service delivery intervention. The service delivery intervention examined the impact of an incentive scheme consisting of conditional economic incentives and motivational interviewing on the health outcomes of adolescents living with HIV in Nigeria. Method A cost-effectiveness analysis from the healthcare provider’s perspective was performed to assess the cost per additional patient achieving undetected viral load through the proposed intervention. The cost-effectiveness of the incentive scheme over routine care was estimated using the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), expressed as cost/patient who achieved an undetectable viral load. We performed a univariate sensitivity analysis to examine the effect of key parameters on the ICER. An in-depth interview was conducted on the healthcare personnel in the intervention arm to explore the feasibility of implementing the service delivery intervention in HIV treatment hospitals in Nigeria. Result The ICER of the Incentive Scheme intervention compared to routine care was US$1419 per additional patient with undetectable viral load. Going by the cost-effectiveness threshold of US$1137 per quality-adjusted life-years suggested by Woods et al., 2016, the intervention was not cost-effective. The sensitivity test showed that the intervention will be cost-effective if the frequency of CD4 count and viral load tests are reduced from quarterly to triannually. Healthcare professionals reported that patients’ acceptance of the intervention was very high. Conclusion The conditional economic incentives and motivational interviewing was not cost-effective, but can become cost-effective if the frequency of HIV quality of life indicator tests are performed 1–3 times per annum. Patients’ acceptance of the intervention was very high. However, healthcare professionals believed that sustaining the intervention may be difficult unless factors such as government commitment and healthcare provider diligence are duly addressed. Trial registration This trial is registered in the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry through the WHO International Registry Network (PACTR201806003040425).


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Esther Oceja ◽  
Paula Rodríguez ◽  
María Jurado ◽  
Maria Luz Alonso ◽  
Genoveva del Río ◽  
...  

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children is a prevalent, albeit largely undiagnosed disease associated with a large spectrum of morbidities. Overnight in-lab polysomnography remains the gold standard diagnostic approach, but is time-consuming, inconvenient, and expensive, and not readily available in many places. Simplified Home Respiratory Polygraphy (HRP) approaches have been proposed to reduce costs and facilitate the diagnostic process. However, evidence supporting the validity of HRP is still scarce, hampering its implementation in routine clinical use. The objectives were: Primary; to establish the diagnostic and therapeutic decision validity of a simplified HRP approach compared to PSG among children at risk of OSA. Secondary: (a) Analyze the cost-effectiveness of the HRP versus in-lab PSG in evaluation and treatment of pediatric OSA; (b) Evaluate the impact of therapeutic interventions based on HRP versus PSG findings six months after treatment using sleep and health parameters and quality of life instruments; (c) Discovery and validity of the urine biomarkers to establish the diagnosis of OSA and changes after treatment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinevimbo Shiri ◽  
Angela Loyse ◽  
Lawrence Mwenge ◽  
Tao Chen ◽  
Shabir Lakhi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Mortality from cryptococcal meningitis remains very high in Africa. In the Advancing Cryptococcal Meningitis Treatment for Africa (ACTA) trial, 2 weeks of fluconazole (FLU) plus flucytosine (5FC) was as effective and less costly than 2 weeks of amphotericin-based regimens. However, many African settings treat with FLU monotherapy, and the cost-effectiveness of adding 5FC to FLU is uncertain. Methods The effectiveness and costs of FLU+5FC were taken from ACTA, which included a costing analysis at the Zambian site. The effectiveness of FLU was derived from cohorts of consecutively enrolled patients, managed in respects other than drug therapy, as were participants in ACTA. FLU costs were derived from costs of FLU+5FC in ACTA, by subtracting 5FC drug and monitoring costs. The cost-effectiveness of FLU+5FC vs FLU alone was measured as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). A probabilistic sensitivity analysis assessed uncertainties and a bivariate deterministic sensitivity analysis examined the impact of varying mortality and 5FC drug costs on the ICER. Results The mean costs per patient were US $847 (95% confidence interval [CI] $776–927) for FLU+5FC, and US $628 (95% CI $557–709) for FLU. The 10-week mortality rate was 35.1% (95% CI 28.9–41.7%) with FLU+5FC and 53.8% (95% CI 43.1–64.1%) with FLU. At the current 5FC price of US $1.30 per 500 mg tablet, the ICER of 5FC+FLU versus FLU alone was US $65 (95% CI $28–208) per life-year saved. Reducing the 5FC cost to between US $0.80 and US $0.40 per 500 mg resulted in an ICER between US $44 and US $28 per life-year saved. Conclusions The addition of 5FC to FLU is cost-effective for cryptococcal meningitis treatment in Africa and, if made available widely, could substantially reduce mortality rates among human immunodeficiency virus–infected persons in Africa.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3054
Author(s):  
Renata Tubelo ◽  
Lucelia Rodrigues ◽  
Mark Gillott ◽  
May Zune

In Brazil, the delivery of homes for low-inc ome households is dictated by costs rather than performance. Issues such as the impact of climate change, affordability of operational energy use, and lack of energy security are not taken into account, even though they can severely impact the occupants. In this work, the authors evaluated the thermal performance of two affordable houses as-built and after the integration of envelope improvements. A new replicable method to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these improvements was proposed. The case study houses comprise the most common affordable housing type delivered widely across Brazil and a proposition of a better affordable housing solution, built in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, integrating passive design strategies to increase thermal comfort. The findings reveal a potential for improving indoor thermal conditions by up to 76% and 73%, respectively, if costs are not a concern, and 40% and 45% with a cost increase of 12% and 9% if a comfort criterion of 20–25 °C was considered. Equations to estimate costs of improvements in affordable housing were developed. The authors concluded that there is a great scope for building envelope optimisation, and that this is still possible without significant impact on budget.


2021 ◽  
pp. 000992282110382
Author(s):  
Tracey M. Thompson ◽  
Ty E. Hasselman ◽  
Yanzhi Wang ◽  
David W. Jantzen

The pediatric appropriate use criteria (AUC) were applied to transthoracic echocardiograms (TTE) ordered by primary care providers (PCPs) and pediatric cardiologists for the diagnosis of syncope to compare appropriateness ratings and cost-effectiveness. Included were patients ≤18 years of age from October 2016 to October 2018 with syncope who underwent initial outpatient pediatric TTE ordered by a PCP or were seen in Pediatric Cardiology clinic. Ordering rate of TTE by pediatric cardiologists, AUC classification, and TTE findings were obtained. PCPs ordered significantly more TTEs than pediatric cardiologists for “rarely appropriate” indications (61.5% vs 7.5%, P < .001). Cardiologists ordered TTEs at 17.2% of visits. Using appropriateness as a marker of effect, with the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, it was more cost-effective ($543.33 per patient) to refer to a pediatric cardiologist than to order the TTE alone. This suggests that improved PCP education of the AUC and appropriate indications of TTEs for syncope may improve cost-effectiveness when using order appropriateness as a marker of effectiveness.


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