Cost-effectiveness of acupuncture versus standard care for pelvic and low back pain in pregnancy: A randomized controlled trial

• Published in: PloS one 2019-04, Vol.14 (4), p.e0214195-e0214195
• Main Authors: Nicolian, Stephanie, Butel, Thibault, Gambotti, Laetitia, Durand, Manon, Filipovic-Pierucci, Antoine, Mallet, Alain, Kone, Mamadou, Durand-Zaleski, Isabelle, Dommergues, Marc
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absenteeism; Absenteeism (Labor); Accounting; Acupuncture; Acupuncture Therapy - economics; Acupuncture Therapy - methods; Adolescent; Adult; Analysis; Back pain; Care and treatment; Clinical trials; Comparative analysis; Cost analysis; Cost effectiveness; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Costs; Employee benefits; Employers; Exercise; Exercise Therapy - economics; Feasibility studies; Female; Gynecology and obstetrics; Health aspects; Health care; Health care costs; Hospitals; Human health and pathology; Humans; Life Sciences; Low back pain; Low Back Pain - etiology; Low Back Pain - physiopathology; Low Back Pain - therapy; Medical economics; Medical research; Midwifery; Midwives; Pain; Pelvic Pain - etiology; Pelvic Pain - physiopathology; Pelvic Pain - therapy; Pelvis; Pelvis - physiopathology; Pharmacoeconomics; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - physiopathology; Pregnancy Complications - therapy; Pregnant women; Production management; Quality of Life; Randomization; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Treatment Outcome; Womens health; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214195

To assess the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture for pelvic girdle and low back pain (PGLBP) during pregnancy. Pragmatic-open-label randomised controlled trial. Five maternity hospitals. Pregnant women with PGLBP. 1:1 randomization to standard care or standard care plus acupuncture (5 sessions by an acupuncturist midwife). Efficacy: proportion of days with self-assessed pain by numerical rating scale (NRS) ≤ 4/10. Cost effectiveness (societal viewpoint, time horizon: pregnancy): incremental cost per days with NRS ≤ 4/10. Indirect non-healthcare costs included daily compensations for sick leave and productivity loss caused by absenteeism or presenteeism. 96 women were allocated to acupuncture and 103 to standard care (total 199). The proportion of days with NRS ≤ 4/10 was greater in the acupuncture group than in the standard care group (61% vs 48%, p = 0.007). The mean Oswestry disability score was lower in the acupuncture group than with standard care alone (33 versus 38, Δ = 5, 95% CI: 0.8 to 9, p = 0.02). Average total costs were higher in the control group (€2947) than in the acupuncture group (€2635, Δ = -€312, 95% CI: -966 to +325), resulting from the higher indirect costs of absenteeism and presenteeism. Acupuncture was a dominant strategy when both healthcare and non-healthcare costs were included. Costs for the health system (employer and out-of-pocket costs excluded) were slightly higher for acupuncture (€1512 versus €1452, Δ = €60, 95% CI: -272 to +470). Acupuncture was a dominant strategy when accounting for employer costs. A 100% probability of cost-effectiveness was obtained for a willingness to pay of €100 per days with pain NRS ≤ 4.