Cost-effectiveness analysis of a physician deployment program to improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas in the Philippines
Objectives The objective of this study is to explore the cost-effectiveness of Doctor to the Barrios (DTTB), a physician deployment program in the Philippines.Design Cost-effectiveness analysis using decision tree models with a lifetime time horizon and probabilistic sensitivity analysis.Setting Soc...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2019-12-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/12/e033455.full |
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| author | Anton L.V. Avanceña Kim Patrick S Tejano David W. Hutton |
| author_facet | Anton L.V. Avanceña Kim Patrick S Tejano David W. Hutton |
| author_sort | Anton L.V. Avanceña |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives The objective of this study is to explore the cost-effectiveness of Doctor to the Barrios (DTTB), a physician deployment program in the Philippines.Design Cost-effectiveness analysis using decision tree models with a lifetime time horizon and probabilistic sensitivity analysis.Setting Societal and healthcare perspectives.Population Hypothetical cohort of children under 5 years in two provinces (Aklan and Nueva Ecija) and in a representative rural municipality.Participants None.Interventions DTTB’s impact on paediatric pneumonia and diarrhoea outcomes compared with a scenario without DTTB.Main outcome measures Costs, effectiveness (in terms of lives saved and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER).Results DTTB is cost-effective in the two provinces that were included in the study from societal and healthcare perspectives. Looking at a representative rural municipality, base case analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analyses suggest that DTTB has an ICER of 27 192 per QALY gained from a societal perspective. From a healthcare perspective, the base case ICER of DTTB is Philippine pesos (PHP) 71 839 per QALY gained and PHP 2 064 167 per life saved, and 10 000 Monte Carlo simulations produced similar average estimates. The cost per QALY of DTTB from a healthcare perspective is lower than the WHO recommended willingness-to-pay threshold of 100% of the country’s per-capita gross domestic product.Conclusions DTTB can be a cost-effective intervention, but its value varies by setting and the conditions of the municipality where it is implemented. By focusing on a narrow set of paediatric outcomes, this study has likely underestimated the health benefits of DTTB. Additional research is needed to understand the full extent of DTTB’s impact on the health of communities in rural and remote areas. Future cost-effectiveness analysis should empirically estimate various parameters and include other health conditions in addition to pneumonia and diarrhoea in children. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e62328bc3e6a4df58237e3b60027fa2e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
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| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-e62328bc3e6a4df58237e3b60027fa2e2025-08-20T02:30:29ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552019-12-0191210.1136/bmjopen-2019-033455Cost-effectiveness analysis of a physician deployment program to improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas in the PhilippinesAnton L.V. Avanceña0Kim Patrick S Tejano1David W. Hutton2Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USAHealth Policy Development and Planning Bureau, Philippines Department of Health, Manila, PhilippinesDepartment of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United StatesObjectives The objective of this study is to explore the cost-effectiveness of Doctor to the Barrios (DTTB), a physician deployment program in the Philippines.Design Cost-effectiveness analysis using decision tree models with a lifetime time horizon and probabilistic sensitivity analysis.Setting Societal and healthcare perspectives.Population Hypothetical cohort of children under 5 years in two provinces (Aklan and Nueva Ecija) and in a representative rural municipality.Participants None.Interventions DTTB’s impact on paediatric pneumonia and diarrhoea outcomes compared with a scenario without DTTB.Main outcome measures Costs, effectiveness (in terms of lives saved and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER).Results DTTB is cost-effective in the two provinces that were included in the study from societal and healthcare perspectives. Looking at a representative rural municipality, base case analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analyses suggest that DTTB has an ICER of 27 192 per QALY gained from a societal perspective. From a healthcare perspective, the base case ICER of DTTB is Philippine pesos (PHP) 71 839 per QALY gained and PHP 2 064 167 per life saved, and 10 000 Monte Carlo simulations produced similar average estimates. The cost per QALY of DTTB from a healthcare perspective is lower than the WHO recommended willingness-to-pay threshold of 100% of the country’s per-capita gross domestic product.Conclusions DTTB can be a cost-effective intervention, but its value varies by setting and the conditions of the municipality where it is implemented. By focusing on a narrow set of paediatric outcomes, this study has likely underestimated the health benefits of DTTB. Additional research is needed to understand the full extent of DTTB’s impact on the health of communities in rural and remote areas. Future cost-effectiveness analysis should empirically estimate various parameters and include other health conditions in addition to pneumonia and diarrhoea in children.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/12/e033455.full |
| spellingShingle | Anton L.V. Avanceña Kim Patrick S Tejano David W. Hutton Cost-effectiveness analysis of a physician deployment program to improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas in the Philippines BMJ Open |
| title | Cost-effectiveness analysis of a physician deployment program to improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas in the Philippines |
| title_full | Cost-effectiveness analysis of a physician deployment program to improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas in the Philippines |
| title_fullStr | Cost-effectiveness analysis of a physician deployment program to improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas in the Philippines |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cost-effectiveness analysis of a physician deployment program to improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas in the Philippines |
| title_short | Cost-effectiveness analysis of a physician deployment program to improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas in the Philippines |
| title_sort | cost effectiveness analysis of a physician deployment program to improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved areas in the philippines |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/12/e033455.full |
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