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Table 3 Mean cost-effectiveness of ICU admission versus hypothetical general ward care. Data from Norway*

From: Costs and expected gain in lifetime health from intensive care versus general ward care of 30,712 individual patients: a distribution-weighted cost-effectiveness analysis

Patient group

ICU strategy

Costs

Incremental costs

QALYs

Incremental QALYs

Incremental C/E

Prob C/Ea

Distr C/Eb

All (n = 30,712)

 

Reject

16,100

 

6.1 (11.6)

    
 

Admit

34,800

18,700

7.7 (14.4)

1.6 (2.8)

11,600

0.95

5000

Medical (n = 17122)

 

Reject

15,300

 

5.7 (10.9)

    
 

Admit

33,500

18,200

7.4 (13.8)

1.7 (2.9)

10,700

0.97

4600

Acute surgery (n = 9722)

 

Reject

16,200

 

6.5 (12.9)

    
 

Admit

36,900

20,700

8.2 (15.8)

1.7 (2.9)

12,300

0.93

5400

Planned surgery (n = 3868)

 

Reject

19,200

 

6.6 (11.5)

    
 

Admit

35,400

16,200

7.7 (13.4)

1.1 (1.9)

14,700

0.84

6500

  1. * The numbers are average extra costs in Euro or health gains in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) per patient. Costs and QALYs were discounted at 4% annually (undiscounted QALYs in brackets)
  2. aUsing a general cost-effectiveness threshold of €22,000/QALY
  3. bResults after health gains were weighted according to the patient’s lifetime QALYs in case of general ward care (severity of disease)
  4. C/E cost-effectiveness, Distr distribution-weighted, Prob probability