TY - JOUR

T1 - Cost effectiveness of preventive home visits to the elderly: economic evaluation alongside randomized controlled study.

AU - Kronborg, Christian

AU - Vass, Mikkel

AU - Lauridsen, Jørgen

AU - Avlund, Kirsten

N1 - Keywords: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Community Health Services; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Female; Health Services for the Aged; House Calls; Humans; Male; Outcome Assessment (Health Care)

PY - 2006

Y1 - 2006

N2 - We evaluated the cost effectiveness of preventive home visits to elderly persons in Denmark alongside a 3-year randomized controlled study. The main outcome measure was incremental costs per active life-year gained. The number of active life-years was defined as those during which the person is able independently to transfer, walk indoors, go outdoors, walk outdoors in both pleasant and poor weather, and climb stairs. In 17 of 34 municipalities health visitors and general practitioners were offered geriatric training, which focused on early signs of disability, physical activity, and interdisciplinary follow-up. The remaining 17 municipalities offered preventive home visits as usual. Outcomes were measured in 4,034 persons aged 75 or 80 years old and dwelling at home. The difference in mean total costs between the intervention and the control group discounted at 3% was -856 euro (95% CI -2,455 to 744) in 75-year-olds and 694 euro (-2,684 to 4,071) in 80-year-olds. The discounted difference in mean active life-years was 0.034 (-0.058 to 0.125) and 0.197 (0.013 to 0.380), respectively. The study did not provide conclusive evidence on the cost effectiveness of the programs under consideration.

AB - We evaluated the cost effectiveness of preventive home visits to elderly persons in Denmark alongside a 3-year randomized controlled study. The main outcome measure was incremental costs per active life-year gained. The number of active life-years was defined as those during which the person is able independently to transfer, walk indoors, go outdoors, walk outdoors in both pleasant and poor weather, and climb stairs. In 17 of 34 municipalities health visitors and general practitioners were offered geriatric training, which focused on early signs of disability, physical activity, and interdisciplinary follow-up. The remaining 17 municipalities offered preventive home visits as usual. Outcomes were measured in 4,034 persons aged 75 or 80 years old and dwelling at home. The difference in mean total costs between the intervention and the control group discounted at 3% was -856 euro (95% CI -2,455 to 744) in 75-year-olds and 694 euro (-2,684 to 4,071) in 80-year-olds. The discounted difference in mean active life-years was 0.034 (-0.058 to 0.125) and 0.197 (0.013 to 0.380), respectively. The study did not provide conclusive evidence on the cost effectiveness of the programs under consideration.

U2 - 10.1007/s10198-006-0361-2

DO - 10.1007/s10198-006-0361-2

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 16763802

VL - 7

SP - 238

EP - 246

JO - European Journal of Health Economics

JF - European Journal of Health Economics

SN - 1618-7598

IS - 4

ER -