Cost analysis of nurse telephone consultation in out of hours primary care: evidence from a randomised controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To undertake an economic evaluation of nurse telephone consultation using decision support software in comparison with usual general practice care provided by a general practice cooperative.

Design

Cost analysis from an NHS perspective using stochastic data from a randomised controlled trial.

Setting

General practice cooperative with 55 general practitioners serving 97 000 registered patients in Wiltshire, England.

Subjects

All patients contacting the service, or about whom the service was contacted during the trial year (January 1997 to January 1998).

Main outcome measures

Costs and savings to the NHS during the trial year.

Results

The cost of providing nurse telephone consultation was 81 237 pound sterling per annum. This, however, det

SUBMITTER: Lattimer V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC27349 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature