Economic Evaluation of Long-Term Survivorship Care for Cancer Patients in OECD Countries: A Systematic Review for Decision-Makers.

David Brain,Amarzaya Jadambaa

doi:10.3390/ijerph182111558

Abstract

Long-term cancer survivorship care is a crucial component of an efficient healthcare system. For numerous reasons, there has been an increase in the number of cancer survivors; therefore, healthcare decision-makers are tasked with balancing a finite budget with a strong demand for services. Decision-makers require clear and pragmatic interpretation of results to inform resource allocation decisions. For these reasons, the impact and importance of economic evidence are increasing. The aim of the current study was to conduct a systematic review of economic evaluations of long-term cancer survivorship care in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries and to assess the usefulness of economic evidence for decision-makers. A systematic review of electronic databases, including MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO and others, was conducted. The reporting quality of the included studies was appraised using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist. Each included study’s usefulness for decision-makers was assessed using an adapted version of a previously published approach. Overall, 3597 studies were screened, and of the 235 studies assessed for eligibility, 34 satisfied the pre-determined inclusion criteria. We found that the majority of the included studies had limited value for informing healthcare decision-making and conclude that this represents an ongoing issue in the field. We recommend that authors explicitly include a policy statement as part of their presentation of results.

Highlights

Cancers of all types are a global health concern, and the worldwide impact of cancer is expected to continue to increase in the coming decades [1]
Long-term survivorship care for cancer patients is a crucial component of a well-functioning healthcare system, but the ongoing management of survivors comes at a cost
This systematic review included studies meeting the following inclusion criteria: (1) reported original empirical research published in a peer-reviewed journal; (2) evaluated the economic impact and health outcomes associated with implementing long-term survivorship care for cancer patients who had initial cancer treatment(s)—any economic evaluation

Summary

Introduction

Cancers of all types are a global health concern, and the worldwide impact of cancer is expected to continue to increase in the coming decades [1]. The current healthcare environment is characterized by finite budgets and high expectations of good health outcomes, where healthcare decision-makers are required to balance non-increasing budgets with an increased demand for services [6]. This is a challenge for decision-makers who find themselves with an increased number of cancer survivors who require ongoing, long-term support services. Provide an explicit statement of the objective(s) or question(s) the review addresses. Provide an explicit statement of the main objective(s) or question(s) the review addresses. Choice of health outcomes was reported a. Describe all structural or other assumptions underpinning the decision-analytical model

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Conclusion