Cost-effectiveness Analysis of the Elder-Friendly Approaches to the Surgical Environment (EASE) Intervention for Emergency Abdominal Surgical Care of Adults Aged 65 Years and Older

Key Points Question From the perspective of the health care system, what are the economic outcomes of the Elder-Friendly Approaches to the Surgical Environment intervention? Findings In this economic evaluation of a controlled before-and-after study of elderly Canadian adults admitted for emergency abdominal surgery, the Elder-Friendly Approaches to the Surgical Environment intervention was associated with a reduction in costs and no change in quality-adjusted life-years. Meaning These findings suggest that implementation of the Elder-Friendly Approaches to the Surgical Environment intervention should be considered in other centers; in locations lacking current capacity to implement this intervention, costs to increase capacity should be weighed against the estimated costs avoided.