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To freeze or not to freeze: a cost‐effectiveness analysis of wart treatment
Author(s) -
KeoghBrown M.R.,
Fordham R.J.,
Thomas K.S.,
Bachmann M.O.,
Holland R.C.,
Avery A.J.,
Armstrong S.J.,
Chalmers J.R.,
Howe A.,
Rodgers S.,
Williams H.C.,
Harvey I.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2007.07768.x
Subject(s) - queen (butterfly) , university hospital , medicine , library science , family medicine , hymenoptera , botany , computer science , biology
Summary Background Several general practitioner (GP)‐prescribed and over‐the‐counter therapies for warts and verrucae are available. However, the cost‐effectiveness of these treatments is unknown. Objectives To compare the cost‐effectiveness of different treatments for cutaneous warts. Methods We designed a decision‐analytic Markov simulation model based on systematic review evidence to estimate the cost‐effectiveness of various treatments. The outcome measures studied are percentage of patients cured, cost of treatment and incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio for each treatment, compared with no treatment, after 18 weeks. Results Duct tape was most cost‐effective but published evidence of its effectiveness is sparse. Salicylic acid was the most cost‐effective over‐the‐counter treatment commonly used. Cryotherapy administered by a GP was less cost‐effective than GP‐prescribed salicylic acid and less cost‐effective than cryotherapy administered by a nurse. Conclusions Duct tape could be adopted as the primary treatment for cutaneous warts if its effectiveness is verified by further rigorous trials. Nurse‐administered cryotherapy is likely to be more cost‐effective than GP‐administered cryotherapy.