Article
“PID-Schulung”: Cost-benefit calculation of a structured educational programme for patients with primary immunodeficiency (PID) diseases associated with antibody deficiency
"PID-Schulung": Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse Patientenschulungsprogramm für Patienten mit Antikörpermangelerkrankungen
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Authors
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U. Baumann
- Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Pädiatrische Pneumologie, Allergologie und Neonatologie, Hannover, Germany
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M. Stoll
- Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Klinik für Immunologie und Rheumatologie, Hannover, Germany
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PID-Schulungs Arbeitsgruppe
| Published: | June 2, 2010 |
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Outline
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Objective: Structured educational programmes support patients and health care professionals to solve problems that arise from the disease. They have been shown to be beneficial for patients with common chronic diseases, such as asthma or atopic dermatitis. We hypothesise that this applies also to patients with rare diseases, such as antibody deficiency syndrome. So far, the educational programme for PID is funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, reference number 01GM0894. One of the beneficial effects proven in implemented educational programmes is a lower utilisation of health care resources, outweighing the cost of the programme. Here, we calculated the costs of a newly developed educational programme for PID patients and compared to the potential reduction of health care utilisation related costs.
Methods: Calculation of direct costs of the educational programme and of health care utilisation from the perspective of a German public health insurance in prices of 2010. Health care utilisation was calculated for typical disease-specific complications, bronchitis, pneumonia and bronchiectasis. Reduction of complication rates was estimated together with a sensitivity analysis for minimal and maximal beneficial effects of the training programme. Since long-term effects of the educational programme are unknown at this stage, calculations were made only for the first 5 years after the programme. The annual discount rate was set as 5%.
Results: Direct costs of the educational programme was calculated with 450 € per patient for a weekend seminar, covering trainer fee, hotel and printed materials.
Costs of health care utilisation due to disease-specific complications over 5 years was calculated for bronchitis by 1,800€, pneumonia by 343 €, and for bronchiectasis by 365 €. A reduction of the disease specific complications by 20% would save 500 €. In senstitvity analysis, a reduction by 10 and 40% would lead to savings of 250 and 1,000 €, respectively.
Conclusion: Educational programmes can be cost-effective also for rare diseases, such as Primary Immunodeficiencies (PID) even with a conservative cost benefit calculation.
