Cost-effectiveness of a pressure ulcer quality collaborative

Benefits of a digital health technology for older nursing home residents. A de-novo cost-effectiveness model for digital health technologies to aid in the assessment of toileting and containment care needs

The aim of this study was first, to introduce a comprehensive, de-novo health economic (HE) model incorporating the full range of activities involved in toileting and containment care (T&CC) for people with incontinence, capturing all the potential benefits and costs of existing and future Digital Health Technologies (DHT) aimed at improving continence care, for both residential care and home care. Second, to use this novel model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the DHT TENA SmartCare Identifi in the implementation of person-centred continence care (PCCC), compared with conventional continence care for Canadian nursing home residents. The de-novo HE model was designed to evaluate technologies across different care settings from the perspective of several stakeholders. Health states were based on six care need profiles with increasing need for toileting assistance, three care stages with varying degrees of toileting success, and five levels of skin health. The main outcomes were incremental costs and quality-adjusted life years. The effectiveness of the TENA SmartCare Identifi was based primarily on trial data combined with literature and expert opinion where necessary. Costs were reported in CAD 2020. After 2 years, 21% of residents in the DHT group received mainly toileting as their continence care strategy compared with 12% in the conventional care group. Conversely, with the DHT 15% of residents rely mainly on absorbent products for incontinence care, compared with 40% with conventional care. On average, residents lived for 2.34 years, during which the DHT resulted in a small gain in quality-adjusted life years of 0.015 and overall cost-savings of $1,467 per resident compared with conventional care. Most cost-savings were achieved through reduced costs for absorbent products. Since most, if not all, stakeholders gain from use of the DHT-assisted PCCC, widespread use in Canadian residential care facilities should be considered, and similar assessments for other countries encouraged.

The Impact of Underlying Conditions on Quality-of-Life Measurement Among Patients with Chronic Wounds, as Measured by Utility Values: A Review with an Additional Study

Significance: Quality of life (QoL) is important to patients with chronic wounds and is rarely formally evaluated. Understanding what comorbidities most affect the individual versus their wounds could be a key metric. Recent Advances: The last 20 years have seen substantial advances in QoL instruments and conversion of patient data to a single value known as the health utilities index (HUI). We review these advances, along with wound-related QoL, and analyze real-world comorbidities challenging wound care. Critical Issues: To understand the impact of underlying comorbidities in a real-world patient population, we examined a convenience sample of 382 patients seen at a hospital-based outpatient wound center. This quality reporting study falls outside the regulations that govern human subject research. Comorbid conditions were used to calculate HUIs using a variety of literature-reported approaches, while Wound-Quality-of-Life (W-QoL) questionnaire data were collected from patients during their first visit. The mean number of conditions per patient was 8; 229 patients (59.9%) had utility values for comorbidities/conditions, which were worse/lower than their wounds' values. Sixty-three (16.5%) patients had depression and/or anxiety, 64 (16.8%) had morbid obesity, and 204 (53.4%) had gait and mobility disorders, all of which could have affected W-QoL scoring. The mean minimum utility value (0.5) was within 0.05 units of an average of 13 studies reporting health utilities from wound care populations using the EuroQol 5 Dimension instrument. Future Directions: The comorbidity associated with the lowest utility value is what might most influence the QoL of patients with chronic wounds. This finding needs further investigation.

A narrative review of the epidemiology and economics of chronic wounds

Chronic wounds have a debilitating effect on the quality of life of many individuals, and the large economic impact on health system budgets warrants greater attention in policy making and condition management than is currently evident. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize the nature and extent of the chronic wound problem that confronts health systems across the world. The first section is used to highlight the underlying epidemiology relating to chronic wounds, while the second explores the economic costs associated with them and the relative efficiency of measures designed to manage them.

Pressure ulcers: the core, care and cure approach

Pressure ulcer/injury remains a significant health problem in the community, requiring comprehensive care. Nurses are involved in the management and prevention of pressure injury. However, to date, studies focusing on applying nursing theory to pressure ulcer care have been limited. In the present study, the three dimensions of Lydia Hall's 1964 theory-core, care and cure-are extensively discussed and linked with the practice of pressure injury management. It is hoped that this review will help community nurses understand the application of this nursing theory to the prevention and management of pressure injury.

Costs and economic evaluations of Quality Improvement Collaboratives in healthcare: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

In increasingly constrained healthcare budgets worldwide, efforts to improve quality and reduce costs are vital. Quality Improvement Collaboratives (QICs) are often used in healthcare settings to implement proven clinical interventions within local and national programs. The cost of this method of implementation, however, is cited as a barrier to use. This systematic review aims to identify and describe studies reporting on costs and cost-effectiveness of QICs when used to implement clinical guidelines in healthcare.

METHODS

Multiple databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, EconLit and ProQuest) were searched for economic evaluations or cost studies of QICs in healthcare. Studies were included if they reported on economic evaluations or costs of QICs. Two authors independently reviewed citations and full text papers. Key characteristics of eligible studies were extracted, and their quality assessed against the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS). Evers CHEC-List was used for full economic evaluations. Cost-effectiveness findings were interpreted through the Johanna Briggs Institute 'three by three dominance matrix tool' to guide conclusions. Currencies were converted to United States dollars for 2018 using OECD and World Bank databases.

RESULTS

Few studies reported on costs or economic evaluations of QICs despite their use in healthcare. Eight studies across multiple healthcare settings in acute and long-term care, community addiction treatment and chronic disease management were included. Five were considered good quality and favoured the establishment of QICs as cost-effective implementation methods. The cost savings to the healthcare setting identified in these studies outweighed the cost of the collaborative itself.

CONCLUSIONS

Potential cost savings to the health care system in both acute and chronic conditions may be possible by applying QICs at scale. However, variations in effectiveness, costs and elements of the method within studies, indicated that caution is needed. Consistent identification of costs and description of the elements applied in QICs would better inform decisions for their use and may reduce perceived barriers. Lack of studies with negative findings may have been due to publication bias. Future research should include economic evaluations with societal perspectives of costs and savings and the cost-effectiveness of elements of QICs.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO registration number: CRD42018107417.

Costs and consequences of an intervention-based program to reduce hospital-acquired pressure injuries in one health district in Australia

Objectives The aims of this study were to determine the costs of hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) in one local health district in Australia and compare the costs and consequences of an intervention-based program with current practice to reduce HAPI incidence and prevalence. Methods A retrospective cost-consequence analysis was conducted using HAPI incidence rate per occupied bed days, point prevalence rates, Australian Refined-Diagnosis Related Group (AR-DRG) costs and the costs of the program to reduce the HAPI rate. Data were analysed for two phases: preprogram implementation (1 June 2015-1 June 2016) and postprogram implementation (1 August 2016-31 July 2017). Results The HAPI intervention-based program resulted in a 51.4% reduction in the incidence of HAPI (from 1.46 per occupied bed day in 2014 to 0.71 per occupied bed day in 2017) and a 71.6% reduction in the prevalence of HAPI (from 6.7% in 2014 to 1.9% in 2017). The occurrence of HAPI added an average cost of A$3332 per episode, such that the overall program, including implementation, reduced costs by A$837387. The greatest cost reduction was due to the cessation of washable and disposable underpads. The largest contributor to the cost of HAPI prevention was for education and training regarding HAPI prevention initiatives. Conclusions The HAPI intervention-based program halved the incidence and substantially reduced the prevalence of HAPI, with a 23.1% cost saving compared with the previous approach to preventing HAPIs. What is known about the topic? HAPIs are costly to the individual, the organisation and health system. The prevention of HAPIs is a priority in Australia. There is limited research on the economic effect of HAPIs and the costs and consequences for hospitals of implementation strategies to reduce their incidence. What does this paper add? This paper informs health policy and decision makers about the costs and consequences for a local health district of a program to reduce and prevent HAPIs. This paper reports the economic effect of HAPIs, including hospital episode costs per HAPI and length of stay, on one local health district. What are the implications for practitioners? This cost-consequence analysis has shown that the program to reduce HAPIs resulted in a reduction in expenditure and positive patient outcomes. Such a program is potentially transferable to other healthcare settings.

Economic Evaluations of Guideline-Based Care for Chronic Wounds: a Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to review all published economic evaluations of guideline-based care for chronic wounds and to assess how useful these studies are for decision making in health services.

METHODS

Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED) were searched on April 16th, 2018. We included studies that evaluated the economic impact and health outcomes associated with implementing evidence-based guidelines as a bundle of care for the prevention and/or treatment of chronic wounds. Information was extracted from each eligible study and organized by the type of chronic wound. The quality of published economic evaluation studies was assessed using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS).

RESULTS

A total of 24 economic evaluation studies met the inclusion criteria, of which 12 applied decision analytic models. The compliance with the CHEERS checklist ranged between 43 and 83%.

LIMITATIONS

We may have missed some economic evaluation studies despite the use of broad search terms. The quality assessment was conducted based on judgment. Using the CHEERS checklist may reflect the way evaluations were reported rather than conducted.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS

We found that guideline-based care may be cost-saving or cost-effective in most circumstances. The quality and usefulness of reviewed studies for decision making were variable. Better information and higher-quality economic evaluations will increase decision makers' confidence to promote guideline-based care.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO CRD42017051859.

Nursing records, prevention measures and incidence of pressure ulcers in an Intensive Care Unit

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this paper is to determine the incidence and most incident pressure ulcers (PU) category. Establish the main clinical characteristics of these PU. Determine whether there is adequate documentation of PU and of the measures used to prevent them.

METHOD

Observational descriptive and retrospective study during 2014 at Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-University Hospital of Araba. Study sample, all patients suffering from PU at the time of the study by accidental sampling. Computerised records regarding risk assessment, clinical assessment and pressure sore treatment, provided by the 'Metavision' computer programme and descriptive statistics using SPSS version 22.0. Approval from the Ethics Committee for Clinical Research of the University Hospital of Araba was obtained.

RESULTS

The incidence of patients suffering from PU during 2014 was 6.78%. The most common locations for PU were the sacral region and the heels: the most incident pressure ulcers category was grade II, followed by grade I. Out of the 98 PU treated in our patients, 43 occurred outside the ICU and 55 in the unit itself. The lack of records, in all the variables described about PU, was 19.10%.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of pressure ulcers was lower than in the current literature. The most frequent category, location and clinical characteristics are comparable to previous studies. There is a high rate of failing to record the characteristics of the PU declared. Good PU prevention measures and recording were carried out.

Evaluation of the pressure ulcers risk scales with critically ill patients: a prospective cohort study

AIMS:

to evaluate the accuracy of the Braden and Waterlow risk assessment scales in critically ill inpatients.

METHOD:

this prospective cohort study, with 55 patients in intensive care units, was performed through evaluation of sociodemographic and clinical variables, through the application of the scales (Braden and Waterlow) upon admission and every 48 hours; and through the evaluation and classification of the ulcers into categories.

RESULTS:

the pressure ulcer incidence was 30.9%, with the Braden and Waterlow scales presenting high sensitivity (41% and 71%) and low specificity (21% and 47%) respectively in the three evaluations. The cut off scores found in the first, second and third evaluations were 12, 12 and 11 in the Braden scale, and 16, 15 and 14 in the Waterlow scale.

CONCLUSION:

the Braden scale was shown to be a good screening instrument, and the Waterlow scale proved to have better predictive power.

Improved wound management at lower cost: a sensible goal for Australia

Chronic wounds cost the Australian health system at least US$2·85 billion per year. Wound care services in Australia involve a complex mix of treatment options, health care sectors and funding mechanisms. It is clear that implementation of evidence-based wound care coincides with large health improvements and cost savings, yet the majority of Australians with chronic wounds do not receive evidence-based treatment. High initial treatment costs, inadequate reimbursement, poor financial incentives to invest in optimal care and limitations in clinical skills are major barriers to the adoption of evidence-based wound care. Enhanced education and appropriate financial incentives in primary care will improve uptake of evidence-based practice. Secondary-level wound specialty clinics to fill referral gaps in the community, boosted by appropriate credentialing, will improve access to specialist care. In order to secure funding for better services in a competitive environment, evidence of cost-effectiveness is required. Future effort to generate evidence on the cost-effectiveness of wound management interventions should provide evidence that decision makers find easy to interpret. If this happens, and it will require a large effort of health services research, it could be used to inform future policy and decision-making activities, reduce health care costs and improve patient outcomes.

Characterization of a Murine Pressure Ulcer Model to Assess Efficacy of Adipose-derived Stromal Cells

BACKGROUND

As the world's population lives longer, the number of individuals at risk for pressure ulcers will increase considerably in the coming decades. In developed countries, up to 18% of nursing home residents suffer from pressure ulcers and the resulting hospital costs can account for up to 4% of a nation's health care budget. Although full-thickness surgical skin wounds have been used as a model, preclinical rodent studies have demonstrated that repeated cycles of ischemia and reperfusion created by exposure to magnets most closely mimic the human pressure ulcer condition.

METHODS

This study uses in vivo and in vitro quantitative parameters to characterize the temporal kinetics and histology of pressure ulcers in young, female C57BL/6 mice exposed to 2 or 3 ischemia-reperfusion cycles. This pressure ulcer model was validated further in studies examining the efficacy of adipose-derived stromal/stem cell administration.

RESULTS

Optimal results were obtained with the 2-cycle model based on the wound size, histology, and gene expression profile of representative angiogenic and reparative messenger RNAs. When treated with adipose-derived stromal/stem cells, pressure ulcer wounds displayed a dose-dependent and significant acceleration in wound closure rates and improved tissue histology.

CONCLUSION

These findings document the utility of this simplified preclinical model for the evaluation of novel tissue engineering and medical approaches to treat pressure ulcers in humans.

Economic evaluations of guideline-based or strategic interventions for the prevention or treatment of chronic wounds

BACKGROUND

Costs of chronic wound care are significant, but systematic reviews of cost-effectiveness studies regarding guideline-based or strategic interventions are scarce.

OBJECTIVES

Our objectives were to assess/compare the cost effectiveness of new interventions/systems designed to improve the prevention/treatment of chronic wounds in adult populations against current care and provide decision makers with information on which to base future interventions for chronic wound management.

DATA SOURCES

Data sources included PubMed, Scopus, HTA, and NHS EED.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, PARTICIPANTS, AND INTERVENTIONS

We included comparative health economic evaluations of interventions published in English designed to prevent or treat adult chronic wounds that were guideline-based or strategic in nature and from which an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio or incremental net health benefit was reported or could be calculated.

STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS

Study and model characteristics and outcomes were extracted into pre-designed tables. Quality assessment of studies was based on literature-reported methods. Studies were assigned strength of evidence ratings and recommendation level for decision makers.

RESULTS

A total of 16 health economic evaluations were included, of which ten were trial based and six were wholly model based. Only three studies had high, and five studies moderate, strength of evidence and were recommended for decision makers. All studies had some shortcomings regarding time horizon, costs, effectiveness units, and methodological reporting. Two studies had major flaws.

LIMITATIONS

Limitations include missed studies published in non-English languages or not cited in searched databases; judgment bias in assessing studies.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS

Few well conducted cost-effectiveness studies exist to guide decision makers regarding guideline-based or strategic interventions for chronic wounds.

Cost reductions associated with a quality improvement initiative for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Efforts to reduce door-to-balloon (DTB) times for patients presenting with an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are widespread. Reductions in DTB times have been shown to reduce short-term mortality and decrease inpatient length of stay (LOS) in these high-risk patients. However, there is a limited literature examining the effect that these quality improvement (QI) initiatives have on patient care costs.

METHODS

A STEMI QI program (Cardiac Alert Team [CAT]) initiative was instituted in July 2006 at a single tertiary care medical center located in central Massachusetts. Information was collected on cost data and selected clinical outcomes for consecutively admitted patients with a STEMI. Differences in adjusted hospital costs were compared in three cohorts of patients hospitalized with a STEMI: one before the CAT initiative began (January 2005-June 2006) and two after (October 1, 2007-September 30, 2009, and October 1, 2009-September 30, 2011).

RESULTS

Before the CAT initiative, the average direct inpatient costs related to the care of these patients was $14,634, which decreased to $13,308 (-9.1%) and $13,567 (-7.3%) in the two sequential periods of the study after the CAT initiative was well established. Mean DTB times were 91 minutes before the CAT initiative and were reduced to 55 and 61 minutes in the follow-up periods (p < .001). There was a nonsignificant reduction in LOS from 4.4 days pre-CAT to 3.6 days in both of the post-CAT periods (p = .11).

CONCLUSIONS

A QI program aimed at reducing DTB times for patients with a STEMI also led to a significant reduction in inpatient care costs. The greatest reduction in costs was related to cardiac catheterization, which was not expected and was likely a result of standardization of care and identification of practice inefficiencies.

Combined use of super-oxidised solution with negative pressure for the treatment of pressure ulcers: case report

A 61-year-old patient was affected by flaccid paraplegia for 20 years because of post-traumatic medullar injury caused by an accidental fall, with stage IV sacral pressure ulcer for 3 years. The patient later developed stage IV sacral pressure ulcer. After 6 months, a new granulation tissue formation appeared in the wound and a reduction of its diameter was observed (length 20 cm, width 15 cm, depth 5 cm). We therefore treated the wound with PRP (platelet rich plasma) intra-lesion and peri-lesional injections. The wounds were covered with three-dimensional polymerised hyaluronic acid medicated biologic dressing. After the surgery, a moderate reduction in diameter and the depth was observed. Super-oxidised solution (SOS-Dermacyn) was applied to control infection locally together with negative pressure to control the exudate and the local bacteremia, to avoid infectious complications without application of systematic antibiotic therapy.

Ways of assessing the economic value or impact of research: is it a step too far for nursing research?

To identify lessons that could be applied to nursing research, this paper draws on some reviews of the increasing, although apparently still relatively small, number of studies that attempt to assess economic impacts from health research. One review describes several important steps, including identifying the health and other outcomes from specific bodies of research and then valuing the outcomes. We describe major studies in fields such as cardiovascular research that show how the economic value of health research can be demonstrated. In addition, we examine various nursing studies, including ones showing the benefits (especially economic) from nursing itself (as opposed to from nursing research), and also studies describing economic evaluations of new devices and techniques used by nurses, which have the potential to be used when trying to value the research. Currently, such studies rarely go on and demonstrate how the nursing research has had a wider impact on nursing policies and practice, and hence led to outcomes that could be valued. There is, nevertheless, scope to build on these existing nursing studies. Conducting impact assessments could potentially result in a portfolio of examples of nursing research that have informed policies and practices and led to economic impacts in terms of cost savings, and possibly also in terms of health gains that could be valued.