Bryony Dawkins, Bethany Shinkins, Tim Ensor, David Jayne, Thomas Ashley, Alex J van Duinen, Håkon A Bolkan, David Meads
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Access to safe, timely and affordable surgical care is lacking globally. Less than 6% of all surgical operations are carried out in low- and middle-income countries, where over a third of the world's population lives. CapaCare, an NGO operating in Sierra Leone, have developed a surgical training programme (STP) for Associate Clinicians based on principles of task-shifting to improve access. Interventions to increase healthcare access have the same value evidence requirements as new technologies but their evaluation presents methodological challenges as access is not routinely incorporated explicitly in economic evaluations.
Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of surgical task-shifting in Sierra Leone, implemented through the CapaCare STP, to increase provision of caesarean section (C-section).
Methods: We evaluated the impact of the STP on the provision of C-section and subsequent maternal and child outcomes, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), relative to the costs using a healthcare system perspective and decision-tree model parameterised using data from surgical logbooks, national data, and the literature.
Results: Results indicate that the surgical task-shifting programme in Sierra Leone would be considered cost-effective in increasing provision for C-section. It is cost saving (USD - 16.77) and results in 2.14 DALYs averted, per women with an indication for C-section, due to avoidance of maternal and child deaths as well as reduced complications.
Conclusion: Investment in surgical task-shifting initiatives should be considered by policymakers as a potentially cost-effective way to increase access to quality surgical services. Future evaluations of access-increasing interventions should seek to capture the distributional impact of this strategy and system benefits.
期刊介绍:
Applied Health Economics and Health Policy provides timely publication of cutting-edge research and expert opinion from this increasingly important field, making it a vital resource for payers, providers and researchers alike. The journal includes high quality economic research and reviews of all aspects of healthcare from various perspectives and countries, designed to communicate the latest applied information in health economics and health policy.
While emphasis is placed on information with practical applications, a strong basis of underlying scientific rigor is maintained.