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Adhesion reduction agents in gynaecological procedures: can NHS aff ord it? An economic cost efficiency analysis
1University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton, UK. y.cheong@soton.ac.uk
Insights
Adhesion complications cost the National Health Service (NHS) millions. Adopting anti-adhesion agents could lead to significant cost savings for the NHS, potentially exceeding £700,000.
Area of Science:
- Medical Economics
- Surgical Complications
- Health Technology Assessment
Background:
- Adhesions are a significant complication following surgery, leading to substantial healthcare costs.
- The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK incurs considerable expenditure for treating adhesion-related issues.
- Quantifying the economic impact of adhesions is crucial for evaluating new treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the total costs associated with treating adhesion complications within the NHS.
- To evaluate the potential financial savings and cost-effectiveness of adopting anti-adhesion agents.
- To provide an economic rationale for the implementation of preventative measures against surgical adhesions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Healthcare Resource Groups (HRG) codes to calculate costs incurred via the Payment by Results (PbR) system.
- Analyzed data from 62,186 adhesion-related consultant episodes recorded by the NHS between 2004 and 2008.
- Modeled theoretical financial savings based on the hypothetical adoption of an anti-adhesion agent at £110 per use, reducing adhesions in 25% of surgical patients with a 25% readmission rate.
Main Results:
- The study identified a significant economic burden of adhesion complications on the NHS.
- Under the specified assumptions, the adoption of anti-adhesion agents could result in financial savings exceeding £700,000.
- In a conservative scenario, the cost-effectiveness analysis indicated that the use of these agents could be cost-neutral to the NHS.
Conclusions:
- Adhesion complications represent a substantial financial cost to the NHS.
- The implementation of anti-adhesion agents presents a potentially cost-effective strategy with significant theoretical savings.
- Further economic evaluation and clinical trials are warranted to confirm the widespread cost-effectiveness of anti-adhesion agents in routine surgical practice.
Abstract:
We examined the total costs to the National Health Service (NHS, UK) paid to treat adhesion complications and determine the theoretical savings and cost-effectiveness incurred if anti-adhesion agents were adopted. Using Healthcare Resource Groups (HRG) codes, we calculated the costs incurred through Payment by Results (PbR) and then calculated the financial savings that could be realised through the use of anti-adhesion agents. There were 62,186 adhesion-related consultant episodes between 2004 and 2008 encountered within the NHS. If an anti-adhesion agent cost £110 per usage, and can reduce adhesions in 25% of patients undergoing surgery, assuming that 25% of patients were readmitted in the first year after the primary surgery, the financial cost to the health service is, at best, savings of more than £700,000 and at worst, cost neutral to the NHS.
