Cost-effectiveness analysis of COPD screening programs in primary care for high-risk patients in China

• Published in: NPJ primary care respiratory medicine 2021-05, Vol.31 (1), p.28-28, Article 28
• Main Authors: Qu, Shuli, You, Xuedan, Liu, Tianyi, Wang, Lijiao, Yin, Zheng, Liu, Yanjun, Ye, Chong, Yang, Ting, Huang, Mao, Li, Hongchao, Fang, Liwen, Zheng, Jinping
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/699/1785/4037; 692/700/478/2772; Bronchitis; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Cost analysis; Critical care; Discount rates; Disease control; Hospitals; Internal Medicine; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mortality; Parameter estimation; Patients; Pneumology/Respiratory System; Primary care; Primary Care Medicine; Questionnaires; Sensitivity analysis; Spirometry; Thoracic Surgery
• ISSN: 2055-1010; 2055-1010
• DOI: 10.1038/s41533-021-00233-z

We built a decision-analytic model to compare the cost-effectiveness of using portable spirometer and questionnaire to screen chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) with no screening (i.e. usual care) among chronic bronchitis patient in China. A lifetime horizon and a payer perspective were adopted. Cost data of health services including spirometry screening and treatment costs covered both maintenance and exacerbation. The result indicated that portable spirometer screening was cost-saving compared with questionnaire screening and no screening, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of −5026 and −1766 per QALY, respectively. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the results. In summary, portable spirometer screening is likely the optimal option for COPD screening among chronic bronchitis patients China.