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

Table 5 Results from cost-effectiveness analysis: Physiotherapist vs physician as primary assessor

	Difference in mean costs^a	95% CI^b	Difference in mean QALYs^c	95% CI	ICER^d
Societal perspective^e(n = 61)	−364	−870 to 143	−0.015	− 0.093 to 0.063	24,266 €/QALY
Health care perspective^f(n = 61)	−233	−605 to 139	−0.015	− 0.093 to 0.063	15,533 €/QALY

^aCosts are calculated in Euro (€)
^bConfidence interval
^cQuality adjusted life years. QALYs were calculated using linear interpolation between each point and using the trapezoidal rule to calculate the “area under the curve”. Presenting β-values from linear regression analysis for group variable adjusted for baseline differences in EQ-5D-3L-index
^dIncremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Mean difference in costs divided by mean difference in QALYs. Here representing the savings per lost QALY
^eSocietal perspective includes health care visits, prescribed drugs, productivity loss and unpaid work compensation
^fHealth care perspective includes health care visits and prescribed drugs

ISSN: 1471-2474