Analytical approach:
The study used a decision-analytic model with effectiveness and cost data that were collected from one randomised controlled trial. The time horizon was one year and the authors stated that the perspective was that of the health care payer.
Effectiveness data:
The effectiveness data were from a randomised controlled trial with a factorial design. Patients were randomised to either self-management with self-treatment of exacerbations training or to self-management training only. Within each of these groups, patients were randomised to a community-based physiotherapy exercise programme or no programme. The primary outcomes of the study were the exacerbation days per year, the severity scores, the hospital admissions, and the health care contacts. There were 70 patients in the intervention group and 72 in the control group.
Monetary benefit and utility valuations:
Not relevant.
Measure of benefit:
The measures of benefit were the cost per exacerbation day prevented, the cost per hospital admission prevented, and the cost per health care contact prevented.
Cost data:
The cost categories consisted of health care contacts and hospitalisations, medications (regular and for exacerbations), and the training courses. The resource data were collected prospectively during the randomised controlled trial and multiplied by 2004 unit prices, in Euros (EUR).
Analysis of uncertainty:
The authors conducted a probabilistic sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of variations in the key parameter estimates.