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Table 4 Cost of healthcare resource utilisation in control and intervention group patients at baseline and at 6-month follow-up

From: General practitioner practice-based pharmacist input to medicines optimisation in the UK: pragmatic, multicenter, randomised, controlled trial

Outcome measures

Control

 

Intervention

 

p value

Baseline

(6 months pre-study)

6-month follow-up

Difference#

Baseline

(6 months pre-study)

6-month follow-up

Difference#

n = 161*

(48.8%)

n = 161*

(48.8%)

n = 169*

(51.2%)

n = 169*

(51.2%)

Cost of unplanned hospital admissionsa (total)

83,483

65,853

 

64,873

43,425

  

 Mean ± SD

518.5 ± 1438.0

409.0 ± 1446.6

109.5 ± 2027.7

383.9 ± 1224.1

257.0 ± 979.9

126.9 ± 1453.7

0.305g

0.230 h

0.743i

 Median [IQR]

0 [0–0]

0 [0–0]

0 [0–0]

0 [0–0]

0 [0–0]

0 [0–0]

Cost of A&E attendancesb (total)

6525

8265

 

6235

5365

  

 Mean ± SD

40.5 ± 86.1

51.3 ± 112.8

− 10.8 ± 127.2

36.9 ± 77.6

31.7 ± 64.2

5.2 ± 86.5

0.326g

0.433h

0.333i

 Median [IQR]

0 [0–0]

0 [0–0]

0 [0–0]

0 [0–0]

0 [0–0]

0 [0–0]

Cost of face-to-face consultations in General practicec (total)

21,865

21,101

 

21,752

19,361

  

 Mean ± SD

135.8 ± 102.2

131.1 ± 106.2

4.8 ± 111.7

128.7 ± 101.2

114.6 ± 94.1

14.2 ± 103.4

0.511g

0.081h

0.467i

 Median [IQR]

112 [66–186]

108 [56–182]

10 [− 56–56]

108 [46–200]

87 [36–174]

10 [− 40–72]

Cost of telephone consultations in general practiced (total)

4919.0

4916.0

 

5262.0

3564.5

  

 Mean ± SD

30.6 ± 52.4

30.5 ± 47.8

0.0 ± 43.6

31.1 ± 47.4

21.1 ± 32.0

10.0 ± 38.5

0.619g

 < 0.001 h

0.007i

 Median [IQR]

18.0 [0.0–36.0]

18.0 [0.0–39.8]

0.0 [− 18.0–16.8]

18.0 [0.0–52.5]

7.5 [0.0–28.0]

0.0 [0.0–19.5]

Cost of total general practice consultation (total)

26,784.0

26,017.0

 

27,014.0

22,925.5

  

 Mean ± SD

166.4 ± 130.3

161.6 ± 131.1

4.8 ± 127.8

159.8 ± 125.8

135.7 ± 106

24.2 ± 115.7

0.551g

0.014h

0.194i

 Median [IQR]

138.0 [73.0–218.0]

133.0 [72.0–222.0]

10.0 [− 59.0–65.5]

136.0 [56.0–236.5]

107.5 [52.0–200.0]

15.0 [− 43.5–90.0]

Cost of outpatient visitse (total)

72,480

72,480

 

77,920

68,800

  

 Mean ± SD

450.2 ± 465.9

450.2 ± 467.2

0.0 ± 360.9

461.1 ± 496.8

407.1 ± 488.8

54.0 ± 418.57

0.934g

0.074h

0.136i

 Median [IQR]

320 [160–640]

320 [0–640]

0 [− 160–160]

320 [160–640]

320 [0–640]

0 [− 160–320]

Total healthcare resource utilisation costf (total)

189,272

172,615

 

176,042

145,184

  

 Mean ± SD

1175.6 ± 1619.3

1072.1 ± 1635.0

103.5 ± 2104.6

1041.7 ± 1446.7

859.1 ± 1235.2

182.6 ± 1579.2

0.276g

0.032 h

0.491i

 Median [IQR]

552 [313.5–1251.0]

572 [208.0–1168.3]

21.0 [− 267.5–416.5]

618 [279.0–1124.0]

477 [232.3–927.3]

95.5 [− 241.8–472.0]

  1. Bold values denote statistical significance at the p < 0.05 level
  2. *From 356 patients, 14 patients’ healthcare resource utilisation data were not available, seven patients were deceased, five patients had 20 or more days of length of stay at baseline or 6-month follow-up
  3. #Calculated as utilisation at baseline minus utilisation at end of study
  4. aCost of non-elective inpatient stay (short stay) i.e. 1–2 days £608, 3–6 days £3079, non-elective excess bed day (long stay more than 6 days, attracted cost for every day over of £437)
  5. bA&E attendances £145
  6. cGP £36, Pharmacist £15, nurse practitioner £10
  7. dGP £18, pharmacist £7.5, nurse practitioner £5
  8. eOutpatient visit £160
  9. fAll healthcare resource utilisation cost including intervention cost. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd appointment costs were £15, £8.5 and £7.5
  10. gWilcoxon signed rank test (within control group, between baseline and 6-month follow-up),
  11. hWilcoxon signed rank test (within intervention group, between baseline and 6-month follow-up)
  12. iMann–Whitney U test (between control vs intervention for the cost difference from baseline).