Cost-effectiveness of the breathlessness service (BS) for 5 years: results of the Markov model estimation
| Usual care onlyvs usual care plus BS | Usual care only vs usual care plus BS with lasting effects | |
| 75-year-old man, p(uptake)=0.85 | ||
| Costs (£) | −663 (−1076 to −250) | −5086 (−5469 to −4703) |
| Health outcomes (QALY) | 0.013 (0.004 to 0.022) | 0.013 (0.004 to 0.022) |
| ICER (£/QALY) | −50 789 | −389 776 |
| 75-year-old woman, p(uptake)=0.87 | ||
| Costs (£) | −749 (−1100 to −398) | −5719 (−6043 to 5395) |
| Health outcomes (QALY) | 0.013 (0.005 to 0.021) | 0.004 (−0.003 to 0.011) |
| ICER (£/QALY) | −56 242 | −1 454 683 |
95% CIs are in parentheses.
BS is designed to involve consultations with a specialist at an outpatient clinic, review of both medicinal and non-medicinal treatments, home visits by therapists, and support from a social worker.
Costs were calculated based on the National Health Service (NHS) reference costs, and unit costs of health and social careby the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU).
Better mobility and independence at home and outside home and more social activities are anticipated. Fewer hospital admissions are expected and patients need to wait 2 weeks to get the first appointment.
ICER=(costs2−costs1)/(QALY2−QALY1), where 1 and 2 represent alternatives compared. Costs are in 2014 British pound sterlling.
ICER, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio; QALY, quality-adjusted life years.