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. 2023 Apr 19;23(2):8.
doi: 10.5334/ijic.7001. eCollection 2023 Apr-Jun.

Cost-Effectiveness of Inter-Professional Collaboration to Reduce Hospitalisations in Nursing Home Residents: Results from the German Interprof ACT Trial

Louisa-Kristin Muntendorf  1 , Katrin Balzer  2 , Tim Friede  3 , Eva Hummers  4 , Hans-Helmut König  1 , Christiane Müller  4 , Martin Scherer  5 , Linda Steyer  2 , Britta Tetzlaff  5 , Sebastian Pfeiffer  3 , Alexander Konnopka  1   6 ; interprof ACT Consortium
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Cost-Effectiveness of Inter-Professional Collaboration to Reduce Hospitalisations in Nursing Home Residents: Results from the German Interprof ACT Trial

Louisa-Kristin Muntendorf et al. Int J Integr Care. .

Abstract

Background: The German multi-centre cluster-randomised controlled trial interprof ACT investigated interventions to increase inter-professional collaboration between nursing home (NH) staff and local general practitioners to reduce hospitalisations and improve nursing homes residents' (NHRs) quality of life. The trial was funded by the German Health Care Innovation Fund.

Methods: Cost-effectiveness of interprof ACT interventions was evaluated and compared to current standard of care (SOC) over 12 months, including 622 NHRs in 34 NHs in Germany. Multiplying resource use of healthcare services with German-specific unit costs generated costs. Health outcome was measured in quality-adjusted life-years QALYs), utility by multiplying EQ-5D-5L values with German-specific utility weights. Incremental cost-effectiveness analysis used an intention-to-treat approach and scenario analyses (SAs). Net-benefit-regression and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves addressed uncertainty. A German healthcare insurance perspective was assumed.

Results: Base case results showed non-significant cost savings of 851.88€ and non-significant QALY loss of -0,056.

Discussion: Dependency levels at baseline were non-significantly higher in IG compared to control group (CG). Lack of baseline costing data eliminated possibility to evaluate changes in costs due to the interprof ACT measures for both groups.

Conclusion: Interprof ACT interventions are not cost-effective compared to current SOC.

Keywords: cost-effectiveness; integrated care; inter-professional relations; nursing homes; physician-nurse; randomised controlled trial.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing interests to declare.

Figures

Cost-effectiveness acceptability curves
Figure 1
Cost-effectiveness acceptability curves.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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