Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37083094›Full record

ArticleActa dermato-venereologica2023

Cost-effectiveness and Quality of Specialized and Routine Care in a German Cohort of Patients with Chronic Pruritus.

Svenja Müller, Sonja Ständer, Mandy Naatz, Matthias Augustin, Sabine Steinke

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Acta dermato-venereologica, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Unpacking the Itch Score: A Critical Examination of Routine Itch Measurement in Dermatology Practice.JID innovations : skin science from molecules to population health · 2025
    Article
  2. Review
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

5 authors.

Svenja MüllerDepartment of Dermatology and Allergy; University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. svenja2.mueller@ukbonn.de.
Sonja StänderDepartment of Dermatology and Center for Chronic Pruritus, University Hospital Münster, Germany.
Mandy NaatzGerman Center for Health Services Research in Dermatology (CVderm), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Germany.
Matthias AugustinGerman Center for Health Services Research in Dermatology (CVderm), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Germany.
Sabine SteinkeDepartment of Dermatology and Center for Chronic Pruritus, University Hospital Münster, Germany; Bielefeld University, Medical School OWL, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chronic pruritus is a prevalent interdisciplinary symptom with a strong influence on health-related quality of life. Patients need extensive diagnostics and long-term treatment. This retrospective and prospective cohort study compared routine and university-based specialized care in terms of cost-effectiveness and patient benefit. Direct medical and non-medical costs and patient-reported outcomes (PRO; pruritus intensity, quality of life, treatment needs and benefits) were assessed. Data analyses were conducted using descriptive methods and non-parametric statistical tests. A total of 300 adult patients (54.3% female) participated in the study. Six months after the treatment start in a specialized German pruritus care unit, the total costs were significantly reduced (mean total costs 686 € vs 433 € per patient per half year (total cohort); p <  0.001; mean out-of-pocket costs 198 € vs 124 € per half year (total cohort), p <  0.001). Pruritus intensity (numerical rating  scale 5.3 vs 3.7, p < 0.001), quality of life (Dermatology Life Quality Index 8.9 vs 5.7, p < 0.001) and patient benefit (Patient Benefit Index Pruritus 1.2 vs 2.1, p < 0.001) improved significantly (total  cohort). The results of this study show, that treatment of chronic pruritus patients in a specialized itch centre leads to an improvement in patient  benefit and reduces the economic burden at the same time.

Indexed as

PruritusQuality of LifeAdultCost-Benefit AnalysisFemaleHumansMaleProspective StudiesRetrospective Studies

Identifiers

PMID37083094
PMCPMC10134063

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.