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Cost-effectiveness of interventions to support self-care: A systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 October 2005

Gerry Richardson ,
Hugh Gravelle ,
Helen Weatherly  and
Gill Ritchie
Gerry Richardson
Affiliation:
University of York
Hugh Gravelle
Affiliation:
University of York and University of Manchester
Helen Weatherly
Affiliation:
University of York
Gill Ritchie
Affiliation:
Royal College of General Practitioners
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Abstract

Objectives: Interventions to support patient self-care of their condition aim to improve patient health and reduce health service costs. Consequently, they have attracted considerable policy interest. There is some evidence of clinical effectiveness but less attention has been paid to whether these interventions are cost-effective. This study examines the quality and quantity of existing evidence of the cost-effectiveness.

Methods: A systematic review was carried out to assess the extent and quality of economic evaluations of self-care support interventions. Thirty-nine economic evaluations were assessed against a quality checklist developed to reflect the special features of these interventions.

Results: The majority of the studies claimed that self-care support interventions were cost-effective or cost saving. The overall quality of economic evaluations was poor because of flaws in study designs, especially a narrow definition of relevant costs and short follow-up periods.

Conclusions: The current evidence base does not support any general conclusion that self-care support interventions are cost-effective, but ongoing trials may provide clearer evidence.

Keywords

Cost-effectivenessEconomic evaluationSelf-care supportSelf-management
Type
GENERAL ESSAYS
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 21 , Issue 4 , October 2005 , pp. 423 - 432
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

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