A Preliminary Cost-Utility Analysis of the Prosthetic Care Innovations: Basic Framework

Area of Science:

• Health economics
• Prosthetic innovation
• Clinical utility analysis

Background:

• Preliminary cost-utility analyses (CUAs) offer early insights into prosthetic care innovations but face challenges.
• Methodological disparities and high uncertainty hinder routine adoption and interpretation of preliminary CUAs.
• A need exists for a standardized framework to guide preliminary CUAs in this field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and appraise a basic framework for preliminary cost-utility analyses (CUAs) of prosthetic care innovations.
• To provide a structured, 15-step iterative process for conducting preliminary CUAs.
• To enhance the interpretability, appraisal, and sharing of preliminary CUA outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of health economic and prosthetic-specific studies.
• Development of a 15-step iterative framework for preliminary CUAs.
• Appraisal of the framework's strengths, weaknesses, barriers, facilitators, and ROI.

Main Results:

• The proposed framework simplifies method selection, standardizes outcomes, and facilitates comparisons between innovations.
• Key facilitators include selecting appropriate constructs, utilizing existing cost data, and benchmarking utilities.
• The framework aids in identifying knowledge gaps, designing full CUAs, and obtaining regulatory approval.

Conclusions:

• A standardized preliminary CUA framework can streamline the adoption of prosthetic care innovations.
• Addressing limitations like uncertainty and narrow perspectives is crucial for robust analyses.
• Further validation of preliminary CUAs will improve access to economic prosthetic innovations, benefiting individuals with limb loss.