TY - JOUR

T1 - Earlier cancer diagnosis in primary care: a feasibility economic analysis of ThinkCancer!

AU - Anthony, Bethany

AU - Disbeschl, Stefanie

AU - Goulden, Nia

AU - Hendry, Annie

AU - Hiscock, Julia

AU - Hoare, Zoe

AU - Roberts, Jessica

AU - Rose , Jan

AU - Surgey, Alun

AU - Williams, Nefyn

AU - Walker, Daniel

AU - Neal, Richard

AU - Wilkinson, Clare

AU - Edwards, Rhiannon Tudor

N1 - Copyright © 2023, The Authors.

PY - 2023/3

Y1 - 2023/3

N2 - Background: UK cancer survival rates are much lower compared with other high-income countries. In primary care, there are opportunities for GPs and other healthcare professionals to act more quickly in response to presented symptoms that might represent cancer. ThinkCancer! is a complex behaviour change intervention aimed at primary care practice teams to improve the timely diagnosis of cancer.Aim To explore the costs of delivering the ThinkCancer! intervention to expedite cancer diagnosis in primary care.Design & setting: Feasibility economic analysis using a micro-costing approach, which was undertaken in 19 general practices in Wales, UK.Method: From an NHS perspective, micro-costing methodology was used to determine whether it was feasible to gather sufficient economic data to cost the ThinkCancer! intervention. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, ThinkCancer! was mainly delivered remotely online in a digital format. Budget impact analysis (BIA) and sensitivity analysis were conducted to explore the costs of face-to-face delivery of the ThinkCancer! intervention as intended pre-COVID-19.Results: The total costs of delivering the ThinkCancer! intervention across 19 general practices in Wales was £25 030, with an average cost per practice of £1317 (standard deviation [SD]: 578.2). Findings from the BIA indicated a total cost of £34 630 for face-to-face delivery.Conclusion: Data collection methods were successful in gathering sufficient health economics data to cost the ThinkCancer! intervention. Results of this feasibility study will be used to inform a future definitive economic evaluation alongside a pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT).

AB - Background: UK cancer survival rates are much lower compared with other high-income countries. In primary care, there are opportunities for GPs and other healthcare professionals to act more quickly in response to presented symptoms that might represent cancer. ThinkCancer! is a complex behaviour change intervention aimed at primary care practice teams to improve the timely diagnosis of cancer.Aim To explore the costs of delivering the ThinkCancer! intervention to expedite cancer diagnosis in primary care.Design & setting: Feasibility economic analysis using a micro-costing approach, which was undertaken in 19 general practices in Wales, UK.Method: From an NHS perspective, micro-costing methodology was used to determine whether it was feasible to gather sufficient economic data to cost the ThinkCancer! intervention. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, ThinkCancer! was mainly delivered remotely online in a digital format. Budget impact analysis (BIA) and sensitivity analysis were conducted to explore the costs of face-to-face delivery of the ThinkCancer! intervention as intended pre-COVID-19.Results: The total costs of delivering the ThinkCancer! intervention across 19 general practices in Wales was £25 030, with an average cost per practice of £1317 (standard deviation [SD]: 578.2). Findings from the BIA indicated a total cost of £34 630 for face-to-face delivery.Conclusion: Data collection methods were successful in gathering sufficient health economics data to cost the ThinkCancer! intervention. Results of this feasibility study will be used to inform a future definitive economic evaluation alongside a pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT).

KW - Early cancer diagnosis

KW - Feasibility study

KW - General practice

KW - Health economics

KW - Primary health care

U2 - 10.3399/BJGPO.2022.0130

DO - 10.3399/BJGPO.2022.0130

M3 - Article

C2 - 36543386

VL - 7

JO - BJGP open

JF - BJGP open

SN - 2398-3795

IS - 1

M1 - 130

ER -