Economic evaluation used alongside clinical trials has become a hot spot in the development of clinical studies. The definition and classification of the cost were introduced in this article. The ways to conduct cost analysis in clinical trials were introduced systematically, including the identification, collection and analysis of the data of costs, and the concern of the analysis.
【摘要】 目的 比较腹腔镜胆囊切除术（LC）与开腹胆囊切除术（OC）的费用，并进行卫生经济学评价。 方法 对2009年5-7月行胆囊择期手术的124例患者，随机分为LC组72例、OC组52例。比较两组的手术住院情况、直接和间接医疗成本、总成本。 结果 LC组的直接医疗成本、间接医疗成本、总成本分别为（4891±231）元、（338±76）元、（5229±387）元，均低于OC组的（5505±389）元、（540±82）元、（5945±412）元，两组间各项成本比较有统计学意义（Plt;0.001）。 结论 LC能缩短手术时间、住院时间，降低医疗费用，加快床位周转，提高卫生资源的利用效率。【Abstract】 Objective To compare the cost of the laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) versus open cholecystectomy (OC) and make the health economic evaluation. Methods From May to July 2009, 124 patients who underwent selective cholecystectomy were divided into LC group (72 cases), and OC group (52 cases). The hospitalizations, direct and indirect medical costs and the total costs were analyzed and evaluated. Results The direct, indirect health care costs and the total costs of the LC group were (4891±231), (338±76),(5229±387) yuan; and were lower than those of the OC group [(5505±389), (540±82), (5945±412) yuan]. The cost comparison between the two groups were significant different (Plt;0.001). Conclusion LC could shorten the operative time, hospitalization time, lower the medical cost, speed up the bed turnover and increase the efficiency in the use of health resource.
Objective To critically appraise and systematically reviewe the economic evaluations of all alternative interventions for hepatitis B in China. Methods We searched MEDLINE and the four largest Chinese electronic databases. The references of eligible studies were also screened. Economic evaluations of any type, which studied interventions for hepatitis B, were eligible for inclusion. A 25-item quality checklist modified from a BMJ checklist was used to appraise the quality of studies. The overall quality score was calculated against 100 points to indicate the risk of bias. Quality appraisal and data extraction were conducted by two independent reviewers. Results Nineteen full economic evaluations and two cost studies were included of which fourteen studies were scored 25-44 points, and seven scored 45-61 points. Most studies adequately documented effectiveness of interventions. However, the costs of interventions were not well reported in over 50% of studies. Many studies inadequately conducted data analysis, particular in sensitivity analysis and discounting. Ten studies compared lamivudine with interferon or conventional therapy for 1-year (or 6-month) effects, which indicated that lamivudine was generally cost-effective. Three evaluations studied 30-year outcomes of interferon compared with conventional therapy, which suggested that interferon usually saved additional costs and years of life. Another three studies compared interferon with less frequently used antiviral agents, however the comparative cost-effectiveness varied. Two cost studies showed the total costs and the percentage of medical costs increased rapidly in proportion to disease severity.Conclusions Of alternative interventions, lamivudine is cost effective for short-term effects. Interferon is superior to conventional therapy for long-term outcomes. However, the long-term economic outcomes cannot be justified by the current evidence. Quality of methods, particularly, that of costing and analytical methods, is a major limitation. There remains a b need to improve the quality of reporting. Careful considerations should be paid before applying the results to decision making.
Health economics analysis has become increasingly important in recent years. It is essential to master the use of relevant software to conduct research in health economics. TreeAge Pro software is widely used in the healthcare decision analysis. It can carry out decision analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, and Monte Carlo simulation. With powerful functionlity and outstanding visualization, it can build Markov disease transition models to analyze Markov processes according to disease models and accomplish decision analysis with decision trees and influence diagrams. This paper introduces cost-effectiveness analysis based on Markov model with examples and explains the main graphs.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in hospitalized individuals, associated with adverse outcomes and increased cost. Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is used to treat critically ill patients with AKI, of which the cost in acute phase is higher than that of intermittent renal replacement therapy (IRRT). However, if treatment for subsequent chronic kidney disease or dialysis dependency following AKI is also considered, CRRT might be more cost-effective than IRRT. In this editorial, the cost and health economic evaluation of CRRT for critically ill patients is discussed.
ObjectiveTo analyze the cost and performance of five methods for detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), including PCR (method A), Carba NP test (method B), ultraviolet spectrophotometry (method C), modified carbapenem inactivation method (mCIM, method D), and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP, method E).MethodsPubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang Data and CBM databases were searched using the computer regarding literature on detection of CPE with the same or similar designs, same objectives, and independent results. The search was limited between May 2009 and May 2019. Data on the cost and detection performance of all five methods were extracted, and the four special indexes for laboratory tests, such as sensitivity, specificity, simplicity, and rapidity in the utility were quantified as specific values; subsequently, the cost-effective analysis (CEA), cost-utility analysis (CUA), and multi-attribute utility theory (MAUT) in the detection economic analysis were used to conduct health economics evaluation of five detection methods for CPE.ResultsThe cost of methods A, B, C, D and E were 210.00 yuan, 22.00 yuan, 10.50 yuan, 6.00 yuan, and 60.00 yuan, respectively. The C/E of CEA for the above five methods were 210.00, 22.96, 10.66, 6.14, and 60.00, respectively. The C/U of CUA for the above five methods were 302.16, 32.13, 19.30, 11.13, and 80.00, respectively. The MAUT value of the above five methods were 42.56, 5.00, 2.54, 1.63, and 12.56, respectively.ConclusionIn terms of CEA, CUA, and MAUT, the method D was the highest in economic value, which usually can be used as a routine method for detecting CPE, but it needs a long procedure time; thus, the method E can be used for rapid detection when clinical severe infection occurred, which is superior in both cost-effectiveness and rapidity.
Objective To systematically review the health economic evaluations of using long-term rhythm-control antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) for patients with paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods Databases including PubMed, EMbase, Scopus, CNKI, SinoMed, WanFang Data, and official websites of well-established health technology assessment (HTA) institutions were electronically searched to present the economic evaluations of AAD and the recommendations of HTA institutions based on drug economy from inception to April 23rd, 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data and systematic review was then performed. Results A total of 19 studies were included, including 11 cost-effectiveness or cost-utility analysis studies and 8 official documents from HTA institutions. Only 5 (45.5%) economic evaluations were of relatively high quality, and English language studies were of higher quality than Chinese language studies ones. The included studies lacked elements that CHEERS 2022 concerns, such as health economics analysis plans, equity and distributional effects, engagement with patients and other stakeholders and the impact on the study. Dronedarone and amiodarone were the main focus of the evaluation, and the study results showed that dronedarone was cost-effective compared with other drugs in different study designs and national settings. However, there were differences between the recommendations of HTA agencies and the results of economic evaluation studies. Conclusion The completeness of health economics evaluations needs to be improved, along with the quality of clinical evidence in the field of AF-AAD for Chinese patients. Additionally, the informational value of drugs should be thoroughly investigated through budget impact analysis and distributional cost-effectiveness analysis to provide evidence of high-quality studies for decision-makers in China.
ObjectiveTo systematically investigate the current status of reporting health economics evidence in clinical practice guidelines and expert consensuses published in China from 2021 to 2023, providing references for the formulation and revision of guidelines and consensuses in our country. MethodsComputer searches were conducted in the CNKI, CBM, WanFang Data, China Academic Journals Full-text Database, PubMed, and Web of Science to collect clinical practice guidelines and expert consensuses published in China from 2021 to 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted information on the inclusion of economic evidence in guidelines and consensuses, and then used quantitative analysis methods for description. ResultsA total of 4 236 relevant articles were included, of which 1 066 (25.17%) reported health economics evidence; 120 (11.26%) reported health economics evidence in the formation of recommendation opinions; 109 (10.23%) reported health economics evidence in the grading of evidence quality; 832 (78.05%) reported health economics evidence in the interpretation and explanation of recommendation opinions. ConclusionThe reporting rate of health economics evidence in clinical practice guidelines and expert consensuses published in China is not high. The reporting rate of health economics evidence in consensuses is lower than that in guidelines. It is recommended that during the formulation process of guidelines and consensuses, the application of health economics evidence should be further strengthened in aspects such as the formation of recommendation opinions, the grading of evidence quality, and the interpretation and explanation of recommendation opinions, in order to improve the scientific, rigorous, and applicability of clinical practice guidelines and expert consensuses, and to play the role of guidelines and consensuses in optimizing the allocation of health resources, improving clinical diagnosis and treatment effects, and enhancing the quality of medical care.
Objective To systematically review the current situation of health economics evaluation of gastric cancer screening. Methods The PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang Data and VIP databases were electronically searched to collect the health economics evaluation studies on gastric cancer screening from January 1st, 1975 to September 30th, 2021. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Then, qualitative analysis was performed. Results A total of 44 studies were included. Most of the targeted populations of the study were high-risk groups in areas with a high incidence of gastric cancer. Screening methods such as endoscopy and Helicobacter pylori infection detection were mainly evaluated in those studies. According to the results, about 47% of the studies evaluated a single screening method. A total of 35 studies showed that they established models, however, only a few calibrated the models. Conclusion Most studies of gastric cancer screening reviews neither calibrate the results nor consider the effect of smoking on the progression of gastric cancer. Those evaluated screening programs are limited.