Abstract
Introduction: Researchers are urged to include health- economic assessments when exploring the benefits and drawbacks of a new treatment. The aim of the study was to assess the costs associated with the establishment of a new patient education programme for patients with a stoma. Material and methods: Following a previous case-control study that explored the effect of patient education for stoma patients, we set out to examine the costs related to such a patient education programme. The primary outcome was disease-specific health-related quality of life measured with the Ostomy Adjustment Scale six months after surgery. The secondary outcome was generic health-related quality of life measured with Short Form (SF)-36. In this secondary analysis, we calculated direct health-care costs for the first six months post-operatively from the perspective of the health-care system, including costs related to the hospital as well as primary health care. Results: The overall cost related to establishing a patient education programme showed no significant increase in the overall average costs. However, we found a significant reduction in costs related to unplanned readmissions (p = 0.01) as well as a reduction in visits to the general practitioner (p = 0.05). Conclusion: Establishing a patient education programme - which increased quality of life - will probably not increase the overall costs associated with the patient course. Funding: The study received financial support from Søster Inge Marie Dahlgaards Fond, Diakonissestiftelsen, Denmark, and from Aase and Ejnar Danielsens Foundation, Denmark.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Artikelnummer | A4659 |
| Tidsskrift | Danish Medical Journal |
| Vol/bind | 61 |
| Udgave nummer | 4 |
| Sider (fra-til) | 1-5 |
| Antal sider | 5 |
| ISSN | 1603-9629 |
| Status | Udgivet - apr. 2014 |