Skip to main content

Table 2 Total MSD-related healthcare costs for intervention and TAU groups

From: More cost-effective management of patients with musculoskeletal disorders in primary care after direct triaging to physiotherapists for initial assessment compared to initial general practitioner assessment

 

Cost (€)

(SD)

Unit price range

Δ (€)

p-value

Intervention

TAU

   

Healthcare resources

 Physiotherapist

4394 (232)

1891 (166)

44–45 €/hour

2503

0.109

 GP

1673 (129)

3380 (120)

88–94 €/hour

− 1707

0.053

 Referrals

135 (26)

1204 (105)

37–309 €

− 1069

0.062

 Medication

261 (29)

168 (11)

5–14 €/drug

93

0.588

 Total healthcare cost

6463 (388)

6643 (335)

 

− 180

0.872

Societal resources

 Production loss

46,659 (6392)

86,412 (12145)

 

−39,753

0.555

 Unpaid work compensation

1567 (112)

1106 (100)

 

461

0.597

 Total societal costs

48,226 (6449)

87,517 (12227)

 

−39,291

0.562

 Total costs

54,690 (6644)

94,160 (12491)

 

−39,370

0.567

  1. Intervention = Initially triaged to physiotherapists. TAU = Treatment as usual (initially triaged to GPs). Physiotherapist = Time for physiotherapist visits x mean hourly rate. GP = Time for GP visits x mean hourly rate. Referrals = cost for radiological examinations plus time for specialist consultations in secondary care x mean hourly rate. Medication = cost for prescribed medications. Production loss = Time absent from work because of MSD-related sick-leave and healthcare visits x mean gross wages. Unpaid work compensation = Time for healthcare visits not requiring absence from work x mean net wages