Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35137039›Full record

Trial reportFamily practice2022

Cost-effectiveness of an occupational therapy-led self-management support programme for multimorbidity in primary care.

Paddy Gillespie, Anna Hobbins, Lynn O'Toole, Deirdre Connolly, Fiona Boland, Susan M Smith

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Family practice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Multimorbidity Management: A Scoping Review of Interventions and Health Outcomes.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    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.

Paddy GillespieHealth Economics and Policy Analysis Centre (HEPAC), Institute for Lifecourse & Society (ILAS), CURAM, SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, NUI Galway, University Road, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0001-6297-9478
Anna HobbinsHealth Economics and Policy Analysis Centre (HEPAC), CURAM, SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, NUI Galway, University Road, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland.
Lynn O'TooleDiscipline of Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James's Hospital, James's Street, Dublin 8, D08 NHY1, Ireland.
Deirdre ConnollyDiscipline of Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, St. James's Hospital, James's Street, Dublin 8, D08 NHY1, Ireland.
Fiona BolandData Science Centre and HRB Centre for Primary Care Research, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Mercer Building, Mercer Street Lower, Dublin 2, D02 YN77, Ireland.
Susan M SmithHRB Centre for Primary Care Research, Department of General Practice, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Mercer Building, Mercer Street Lower, Dublin 2, D02 YN77, Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMultimorbidity is a major public health concern. Complex interventions, incorporating individualized care plans, may be appropriate for patients with multimorbidity given their individualized and variable needs. There is a dearth of evidence on the cost-effectiveness of complex multimorbidity interventions.

objectiveThis study examines the cost-effectiveness of a 6-week occupational therapy-led self-management support programme (OPTIMAL) for adults with multimorbidity.

methodsEconomic evaluation, from a healthcare perspective, was conducted alongside a randomized controlled trial of 149 adults with multimorbidity. Intervention was the OPTIMAL programme with a comparison of usual primary care. Incremental costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained, and expected cost-effectiveness were estimated at 6 months and uncertainty was explored using cost-effectiveness acceptability curves.

resultsThe intervention was associated with a mean improvement in QALYs gained of 0.031 per patient (P-value: 0.063; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: -0.002 to 0.063) and a mean reduction in total costs of €2,548 (P-value: 0.114; 95% CIs: -5,606 to 509) per patient. At cost-effectiveness threshold values of €20,000 and €45,000 per QALY, the probability of the intervention being cost-effective was estimated to be 0.951 and 0.958, respectively. The results remained consistent across all subgroups examined.

conclusionsThis study adds to the limited evidence base on the cost-effectiveness of complex interventions for multimorbidity, and highlights the potential for the OPTIMAL programme to be cost-effective. Further studies are warranted to explore the clinical and cost-effectiveness of complex interventions for the multimorbidity patient population, and for subgroups within it.

trial registrationTrial number: ISRCTN67235963.

Indexed as

Occupational TherapySelf-ManagementAdultCost-Benefit AnalysisHumansMultimorbidityPrimary Health CareQuality-Adjusted Life YearsQuality of Lifecomplex interventionscost-effectivenessmultimorbidity

Identifiers

PMID35137039
PMCPMC9508868

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.