A cost-minimization analysis of the societal costs of realtime teledermatology compared with conventional care: results from a randomized controlled trial in New Zealand

Loane, M. A., Oakley, A., Rademaker, M., Bradford, N., Fleischl, P., Kerr, P. and Wootton, R. (2001) A cost-minimization analysis of the societal costs of realtime teledermatology compared with conventional care: results from a randomized controlled trial in New Zealand. Journal of Telemedicine And Telecare, 7 4: 233-238.


Author Loane, M. A.
Oakley, A.
Rademaker, M.
Bradford, N.
Fleischl, P.
Kerr, P.
Wootton, R.
Title A cost-minimization analysis of the societal costs of realtime teledermatology compared with conventional care: results from a randomized controlled trial in New Zealand
Journal name Journal of Telemedicine And Telecare   Check publisher's open access policy
Publication date 2001
Sub-type Article
DOI 10.1258/1357633011936453
Volume number 7
Issue number 4
ISSN 1357-633X
Start page 233
End page 238
Total pages 6
Editor R Wootton
Place of publication London
Publisher Royal Society of Medicine
Collection year 2001
Language eng
Subject C1
329999 Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified
730199 Clinical health not specific to particular organs, diseases and conditions
Abstract A randomized controlled trial was carried out to measure the societal costs of realtime teledermatology compared with those of conventional hospital care in New Zealand. Two rural health centres were linked to a specialist hospital via ISDN at 128 kbit/s. Over 10 months, 203 patients were referred for a specialist dermatological consultation and 26 were followed up, giving a total of 229 consultations. Fifty-four per cent were randomized to the teledermatology consultation and 46% to the conventional hospital consultation. A cost-minimization analysis was used to calculate the total costs of both types of dermatological consultation. The total cost of the 123 teledermatology consultations was NZ$34,346 and the total cost of the 106 conventional hospital consultations was NZ$30,081. The average societal cost of the teledermatology consultation was therefore NZ$279.23 compared with NZ$283.79 for the conventional hospital consultation. The marginal cost of seeing an additional patient was NZ$135 via teledermatology and NZ$284 via conventional hospital appointment. From a societal viewpoint, and assuming an equal outcome, teledermatology was a more cost-efficient use of resources than conventional hospital care.
Keyword Health Care Sciences & Services
Multicenter Teledermatology
Diagnostic-accuracy
Northern-ireland
Teleconsultations
Telemedicine
Dermatology
Patient
Q-Index Code C1

Document type: Journal Article
Sub-type: Article
Collection: Centre for Online Health Publications
 
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