Abstract
Objectives: A pharmacy asthma care program in Australia assessed the impact of a community pharmacy asthma service on severity of patients’ asthma over six months. Data from this study were used to estimate the program’s cost-effectiveness. Methods: The intervention population was compared with a control population and results at six months were included in a Markov model to estimate long-term cost-effectiveness. The model included transition rates from severe to moderate or mild asthma (which differed significantly between the intervention and control groups), the costs of asthma treatment and program delivery, and utility values for a patient’s quality of life with asthma. Results: Over the five years following an initial review, the program generated 0.123 additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and an additional net cost of A$636 if annual reviews were required to maintain asthma improvements (annual review scenario) or $389 if not required (no annual review scenario). Conclusions: The program was cost-effective in both scenarios ($5171 and $3165 per QALY gained, respectively) under a range of other assumptions. Current evidence suggests that the program should be implemented and funded in Australia.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 387-396 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Disease Management and Health Outcomes |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
