Physiotherapist or physician as primary assessor for patients with suspected knee osteoarthritis in primary care – a cost-effectiveness analysis of a pragmatic trial

Table 4 Mean costs: Physiotherapist vs physician as primary assessor

Cost item	Mean cost (SD)		T-test^a
Cost item	Physiotherapist assessment (€)^b	Physician assessment (€)	Mean difference [95% CI^c]	p-value^d
1. Physiotherapist
a) Visits	380 (377)	332 (641)	48 [− 219 to 314]	0.72
b) Telephone calls	4.4 (8.2)	0.46 (2.5)	3.9 [0.81 to 7.0]	0.015*
2. Physician
a) Visits	39 (95)	217 (140)	− 178 [− 239 to − 118]	0.000*
b) Telephone calls	4.8 (27)	19 (44)	−14 [−33 to 5.5]	0.16
c) Prescriptions	5.6 (19)	6.2 (15)	−0.66 [−9.5 to 8.1]	0.88
d) Letters	0.79 (4.5)	6.3 (13)	−5.5 [−11 to −0.2]	0.043*
3. Nurse
a) Visits	1.8 (10)	8.0 (34)	−6.2 [−19 to 6.3]	0.32
b) Telephone calls	42 (104)	88 (169)	−46 [− 117 to 25]	0.20
4. Radiography	7.9 (25)	32 (42)	−24 [−42 to −6.2]	0.010*
5. Orthopaedic surgeon	22 (85)	33 (100)	−12 [−59 to 36]	0.62
6. Collected prescribed drugs	7.8 (34)	6.6 (16)	1.2 [−13 to 15]	0.87
7. Productivity loss^e	111 (91)	365 (853)	− 254 [− 728 to 220]	0.27
8. Unpaid work compensation^f	125 (103)	123 (191)	2.8 [− 113 to 118]	0.96
Total costs societal perspective^g	633 (620)	996 (1276)	− 364 [− 891 to 164]	0.17
Total costs health care perspective^h	515 (541)	748 (885)	− 233 [− 616 to 150]	0.23

^aIndependent-samples t-test. Dependent variable cost items, independent variable group (physiotherapist or physician assessment)
^bEuro (€)
^cConfidence interval
^dp-value, significance level set at p < 0.05
^eProductivity loss for the time the patients were visiting health care or consulting via telephone, including traveling and waiting time. Sick leave days included. Productivity loss was calculated with gross salary including social fees
^fUnpaid work compensation for the time the patients were visiting health care or consulting via telephone, including traveling and waiting time. Production loss was calculated with net mean salary
^gTotal costs from a societal perspective include all cost items 1–8
^hTotal costs from a health care perspective include cost items 1–6
*Significant, p < 0.05

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