Citation

Isaranuwatchai W, Perdrizet J, Markle-Reid M, Hoch JS. BMC Geriatr. 2017; 17(1): e199.

Affiliation

Division of Health Policy and Management, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, 2103 Stockton Blvd. Sacramento, California, 95817, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/s12877-017-0599-9

PMID

28863774

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Falls among older adults can cause serious morbidity and pose economic burdens on society. Older age is a known risk factor for falls and age has been shown to influence the effectiveness of fall prevention programs. To our knowledge, no studies have explicitly investigated whether cost-effectiveness of a multifactorial fall prevention intervention (the intervention) is influenced by age. This economic evaluation explores: 1) the cost-effectiveness of a multifactorial fall prevention intervention compared to usual care for community-dwelling adults ≥ 75 years at risk of falling in Canada; and 2) the influence of age on the cost-effectiveness of the intervention.

METHODS: Net benefit regression was used to examine the cost-effectiveness of the intervention with willingness-to-pay values ranging from $0-$50,000. Effects were measured as change in the number of falls, from baseline to 6-month follow-up. Costs were measured using a societal perspective. The cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted for both the total sample and by age subgroups (75-84 and 85+ years).

RESULTS: For the total sample, the intervention was not economically attractive. However, the intervention was cost-effective at higher willingness-to-pay (WTP) (≥ $25,000) for adults 75-84 years and at lower WTP (< $5,000) for adults 85+ years.

CONCLUSIONS: The cost-effectiveness of the intervention depends on age and decision makers' WTP to prevent falls. Understanding the influence of age on the cost-effectiveness of an intervention may help to target resources to those who benefit most. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospectively registered. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00463658 (18 April 2007).

Language: en

Keywords

Age; Cost-effectiveness analysis; Fall prevention; Multifactorial intervention; Older adults