The costs of treating external genital warts in England and Wales: a treatment pattern analysis

The objective of the study was to determine the cost implications of patterns of treatment for patients with external genital warts. A retrospective case note review was carried out at six genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in the UK. Significant variations in the total costs of care were observed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of STD & AIDS 2004-08, Vol.15 (8), p.501-508
Main Authors: LANGLEY, Paul C, WHITE, David J, DRAKE, Susan M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AIDS/HIV
Ambulatory Care Facilities
Biological and medical sciences
Condylomata Acuminata - economics
Condylomata Acuminata - therapy
England
Epidemiology. Vaccinations
Female
General aspects
Genital Diseases, Female - economics
Genital Diseases, Female - therapy
Genital Diseases, Male - economics
Genital Diseases, Male - therapy
Health Care Costs - statistics & numerical data
Human viral diseases
Humans
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical Records
Medical sciences
Office Visits - economics
Office Visits - statistics & numerical data
Retrospective Studies
Viral diseases
Viral diseases of the genital and urinary system
Wales
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Summary:The objective of the study was to determine the cost implications of patterns of treatment for patients with external genital warts. A retrospective case note review was carried out at six genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in the UK. Significant variations in the total costs of care were observed across the clinics and across the choice of therapy. The cost per successful outcome was ?221.81 for males and ?211.07 for females. A minority of patients accounted for the majority of costs, for example the 30.1% of male patients who recorded six or more visits contributed 66.2% of the total cost. Costs also varied significantly by therapy sequence chosen. Patients who remained on their initial therapy experienced the lowest costs, with the extent to which patients shifted therapies substantially impacting on costs. Therapy sequences involving podophyllin were found to be the most expensive options in achieving a completed episode of care. We concluded that a high proportion of costs for GUM clinics is due to the failure of the initial therapy and by subsequent therapy switching. A greater emphasis on the selection of alternative treatment options, such as the patient-applied therapies, may help to reduce overall costs of care.
ISSN:0956-4624
1758-1052
DOI:10.1258/0956462041558168