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Cost-effectiveness analysis of combined Chinese medicine and Western medicine for ischemic stroke patients

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Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of combining Chinese medicine (CM) with Western medicine (WM) for ischemic stroke patients.

Methods

Hospitalization summary reports between 2006 and 2010 from eight hospitals in Beijing were used to analyze the length of stay (LOS), cost per stay (CPS), and outcomes at discharge.

Results

Among 12,009 patients (female, 36.44%; mean age, 69.98±13.06 years old), a substantial number of patients were treated by the WM_Chinese patent medicine (CPM)_Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) (38.90%); followed by the WM_CPM (32.55%), the WM (24.26%), and the WM_CHM (4.15%). With adjustment for confounding variables, LOS of the WM_CPM_CHM group was about 10 days longer than that of the WM group, and about 6 days longer than that of the WM_CPM group or the WM_CHM group (P<0.01); CPS of the WM_CPM_CHM group was United States dollar (USD) 1,288 more than that of the WM group, and about USD 600 more than that of the WM_CPM group or the WM_CHM group (P<0.01). Compared with the WM group, odd ratio (OR) of recovered and improved outcome of the WM_CPM_CHM group was the highest [OR: 12.76, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 9.23, 17.64, P<0.01], OR of death outcome of the WM_CPM_CHM group was the lowest (OR: 0.08, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.12, P<0.01). There was no significant difference between LOS, CPS and OR of the WM_CPM group and those of the WM_CHM group (P>0.05). Cost/effectiveness and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of the WM_CPM_CHM group were robustly higher than those of the WM group.

Conclusion

Compared with WM alone, supplementing CPM and CHM to WM provides significant health benefits of improving the chance of recovered and improved outcome, and reducing the death rate, at an expense of longer LOS and higher CPS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Informatics Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Yi Li  (李 毅), Han-xu Xi  (席韩旭), Na Yu  (于 娜), Jing Wang  (王 静), Guo-pei Yu  (俞国培) & Lue-ping Zhao  (赵乐平)

  2. Department of Hospital Management, Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Sha Zhu  (朱 莎), Yan Li  (李 岩) & Jun Zhang  (张 俊)

  3. Neurology Department of Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Sha Zhu  (朱 莎) & Jun Zhang  (张 俊)

  4. Neurology Department of Peking University First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Yan Li  (李 岩)

  5. School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China

    Xie-min Ma  (马谢民)

  6. Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, 98109, USA

    Lue-ping Zhao  (赵乐平)

Authors
  1. Yi Li  (李 毅)
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  2. Han-xu Xi  (席韩旭)
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  3. Sha Zhu  (朱 莎)
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  6. Yan Li  (李 岩)
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lue-ping Zhao  (赵乐平).

Additional information

Partly supported by the “985” Project from Ministry of Education of China (No. BMU20100107)

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Li, Y., Xi, Hx., Zhu, S. et al. Cost-effectiveness analysis of combined Chinese medicine and Western medicine for ischemic stroke patients. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 20, 570–584 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-014-1759-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-014-1759-9

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