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Inconsistencies In Nice Guidance For Acupuncture Reanalysis And Discussion
Inconsistencies in NICE guidance for acupuncture reanalysis and discussion
Date : 08/09/2015
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Uploaded by : Aathish
Uploaded on : 08/09/2015
Subject : Medicine
To analyse the implications of using different control group comparators when estimating the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture therapy. The NICE OA economic analysis for acupuncture was replicated using `usual care` (ie, no placebo/sham component) as the treatment comparator. A `transfer-to-utility` technique was used to transform Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis scores into EQ-5D utility scores to allow quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gains to be estimated. QALY estimates were combined with direct incremental cost estimates of acupuncture treatment to determine incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). When `usual care` was used as the treatment comparator, ICER point estimates were below £20 000 per QALY gained for each acupuncture trial analysed in the OA clinical guideline. In the original analysis, using placebo/sham acupuncture as the treatment comparator, ICERs were generally above £20 000 per QALY gained. The treatment comparator chosen in economic evaluations of acupuncture therapy is likely to be a strong determinant of the cost-effectiveness results. Different comparators used in the OA and LBP NICE guidelines may have led to the divergent recommendations in the guidelines.
This resource was uploaded by: Aathish