@article{ref1,
title="Cost-effectiveness and budget impact of Empirical vitamin D therapy on unintentional falls in older adults in the UK",
journal="BMJ open",
year="2015",
author="Poole, C. D. and Smith, Jessi L. and Davies, J. S.",
volume="5",
number="9",
pages="e007910-e007910",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the health outcomes and economics associated with the current guidance relating to the prevention of falls in the elderly through vitamin D supplementation. SETTING: UK. PARTICIPANTS: UK population aged 60 years and above. INTERVENTIONS: A Markov health state transition model simulated patient transitions between key fall-related outcomes using a 5-year horizon and annual cycles to assess the costs and benefits of empirical treatment with colecalciferol 800 iu daily. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Costs and health outcomes attributable to fall prevention following vitamin D supplementation. <br><br>RESULTS: Our model shows that treating the UK population aged 60 years and above with 800 iu colecalciferol would, over a 5-year period: (1) prevent in excess of 430 000 minor falls; (2) avoid 190 000 major falls; (3) prevent 1579 acute deaths; (4) avoid 84 000 person-years of long-term care and (5) prevent 8300 deaths associated with increased mortality in long-term care. The greatest gains are seen among those 75 years and older. Based on reduction in falls alone, the intervention in all adults aged 65+ is cost-saving and leads to increased quality adjusted life years. Treating all adults aged 60+ incurs an intervention cost of £2.70bn over 5 years, yet produces a -£3.12bn reduction in fall-related costs; a net saving of £420M. Increasing the lower bound age limit by 5-year increments increases budget impact to -£1.17bn, -£1.75bn, and -£2.06bn for adults 65+, 70+ and 75+, respectively. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that treatment of the elderly UK population with colecalciferol 800 iu daily would be associated with reductions in mortality and substantial cost-savings through fall prevention.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2044-6055",
doi="10.1136/bmjopen-2015-007910",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-007910"
}