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. 2023 Mar 21;7(1):BJGPO.2022.0130.
doi: 10.3399/BJGPO.2022.0130. Print 2023 Mar.

Earlier cancer diagnosis in primary care: a feasibility economic analysis of ThinkCancer!

Bethany Fern Anthony  1 , Stefanie Disbeschl  2 , Nia Goulden  3 , Annie Hendry  2 , Julia Hiscock  2 , Zoe Hoare  3 , Jessica Roberts  2 , Jan Rose  4 , Alun Surgey  2 , Nefyn Howard Williams  5 , Daniel Walker  2 , Richard Neal  6 , Clare Wilkinson  2 , Rhiannon Tudor Edwards  7
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Earlier cancer diagnosis in primary care: a feasibility economic analysis of ThinkCancer!

Bethany Fern Anthony et al. BJGP Open. .

Abstract

Background: UK cancer survival rates are much lower compared with other high-income countries. In primary care, there are opportunities for GPs and other healthcare professionals to act more quickly in response to presented symptoms that might represent cancer. ThinkCancer! is a complex behaviour change intervention aimed at primary care practice teams to improve the timely diagnosis of cancer.

Aim: To explore the costs of delivering the ThinkCancer! intervention to expedite cancer diagnosis in primary care.

Design & setting: Feasibility economic analysis using a micro-costing approach, which was undertaken in 19 general practices in Wales, UK.

Method: From an NHS perspective, micro-costing methodology was used to determine whether it was feasible to gather sufficient economic data to cost the ThinkCancer!

Intervention: Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, ThinkCancer! was mainly delivered remotely online in a digital format. Budget impact analysis (BIA) and sensitivity analysis were conducted to explore the costs of face-to-face delivery of the ThinkCancer! intervention as intended pre-COVID-19.

Results: The total costs of delivering the ThinkCancer! intervention across 19 general practices in Wales was £25 030, with an average cost per practice of £1317 (standard deviation [SD]: 578.2). Findings from the BIA indicated a total cost of £34 630 for face-to-face delivery.

Conclusion: Data collection methods were successful in gathering sufficient health economics data to cost the ThinkCancer!

Intervention: Results of this feasibility study will be used to inform a future definitive economic evaluation alongside a pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Keywords: early cancer diagnosis; feasibility studies; general practice; health care economics and organizations; primary health care.

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Conflict of interest statement

NHW is a GP principal in Plas Menai Health Centre, Llanfairfechan, which participated in this feasibility study. This research is linked to the CanTest Collaborative, which is funded by Cancer Research UK (C8640/A23385), of which RDN is an Associate Director.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Adapted ThinkCancer! logic model. CRUK = Cancer Research UK. NICE = National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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