Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31382954›Full record

ArticlePopulation health metrics2019

Can cost-effectiveness results be combined into a coherent league table? Case study from one high-income country.

Nick Wilson, Anna Davies, Naomi Brewer, Nhung Nghiem, Linda Cobiac, Tony Blakely

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Population health metrics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Nick WilsonBODE³ Programme, Department of Public Health, University of Otago Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. nick.wilson@otago.ac.nz.
Anna DaviesBODE³ Programme, Department of Public Health, University of Otago Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Naomi BrewerBODE³ Programme, Department of Public Health, University of Otago Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Nhung NghiemBODE³ Programme, Department of Public Health, University of Otago Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Linda CobiacBODE³ Programme, Department of Public Health, University of Otago Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Tony BlakelyBODE³ Programme, Department of Public Health, University of Otago Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDoubts exist around the value of compiling league tables for cost-effectiveness results for health interventions, primarily due to methods differences. We aimed to determine if a reasonably coherent league table could be compiled using published studies for one high-income country: New Zealand (NZ).

methodsLiterature searches were conducted to identify NZ-relevant studies published in the peer-reviewed journal literature between 1 January 2010 and 8 October 2017. Only studies with the following metrics were included: cost per quality-adjusted life-year or disability-adjusted life-year or life-year (QALY/DALY/LY). Key study features were abstracted and a summary league table produced which classified the studies in terms of cost-effectiveness.

resultsA total of 21 cost-effectiveness studies which met the inclusion criteria were identified. There were some large methodological differences between the studies, particularly in the time horizon (1 year to lifetime) but also discount rates (range 0 to 10%). Nevertheless, we were able to group the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) into general categories of being reported as cost-saving (19%), cost-effective (71%), and not cost-effective (10%). The median ICER (adjusted to 2017 NZ$) was ~ $5000 per QALY/DALY/LY (~US$3500). However, for some interventions, there is high uncertainty around the intervention effectiveness and declining adherence over time.

conclusionsIt seemed possible to produce a reasonably coherent league table for the ICER values from different studies (within broad groupings) in this high-income country. Most interventions were cost-effective and a fifth were cost-saving. Nevertheless, study methodologies did vary widely and researchers need to pay more attention to using standardised methods that allow their results to be included in future league tables.

Indexed as

Cost-Benefit AnalysisHealth Care CostsQuality-Adjusted Life YearsHumansNew ZealandCost-effectivenessCost-utilityHealth interventionsLeague table

Identifiers

PMID31382954
PMCPMC6683509

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.