Analysis of the Budget Impact of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Monitoring in the Management of Childhood Asthma: The Colombian National Health System Perspective.

BACKGROUND: Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) testing is a simple, noninvasive approach to assessing airway inflammation with minimal discomfort that provides results within a few minutes. For policy makers, the economic impact of this technology is the main concern, especially in developing countries. We evaluated the budget impact of asthma management using FeNO monitoring in patients aged between 4 and 18 years in Colombia. METHODS: A budget impact analysis was performed to evaluate the potential cost of FeNO monitoring. The analysis was based on a 5-year time horizon and performed from the perspective of the Colombian National Health System. The incremental budget impact was calculated by subtracting the cost of the new treatment, in which FeNO is reimbursed, from the cost of conventional treatment without FeNO (management based on clinical symptoms [with or without spirometry/peak flow] or asthma guidelines [or both] for asthma-related cases). Univariate 1-way sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: In the base case analysis the 5-year costs associated with FeNO and non-FeNO were estimated to be €469 904 130 and €480 485 149, respectively, indicating savings for the Colombian National Health System of €10 581 019 if FeNO is adopted for the routine management of patients with persistent asthma. This result proved to be robust in the univariate 1-way sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSION: FeNO monitoring generated cost savings in emergency settings for infants with persistent asthma. This evidence can be used by decision makers in Colombia to improve clinical practice guidelines and should be replicated to validate the results in other middle-income countries.

Analysis of the Budget Impact of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Monitoring in the Management of Childhood Asthma: The Colombian National Health System Perspective

Background: Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) testing is a simple, noninvasive approach to assessing airway inflammation withminimal discomfort that provides results within a few minutes. For policy makers, the economic impact of this technology is the mainconcern, especially in developing countries. We evaluated the budget impact of asthma management using FeNO monitoring in patientsaged between 4 and 18 years in Colombia.Methods: A budget impact analysis was performed to evaluate the potential cost of FeNO monitoring. The analysis was based on a5-year time horizon and performed from the perspective of the Colombian National Health System. The incremental budget impact wascalculated by subtracting the cost of the new treatment, in which FeNO is reimbursed, from the cost of conventional treatment withoutFeNO (management based on clinical symptoms [with or without spirometry/peak flow] or asthma guidelines [or both] for asthma-relatedcases). Univariate 1-way sensitivity analyses were performed.Results: In the base case analysis the 5-year costs associated with FeNO and non-FeNO were estimated to be €469 904 130 and€480 485 149, respectively, indicating savings for the Colombian National Health System of €10 581 019 if FeNO is adopted for theroutine management of patients with persistent asthma. This result proved to be robust in the univariate 1-way sensitivity analysis.Conclusion: FeNO monitoring generated cost savings in emergency settings for infants with persistent asthma. This evidence can be used bydecision makers in Colombia to improve clinical practice guidelines and should be replicated to validate the results in other middle-income countries (AU)

Antecedentes: El óxido nítrico en aire exhalado es una medición simple y no invasiva de la inflamación de las vías respiratorias cuyosresultados están disponibles en pocos minutos. Para los responsables de la formulación de políticas sanitarias, la principal preocupaciónes el impacto económico que implica la adaptación de esta tecnología, muy especialmente en los países en desarrollo. Este estudiotiene como objetivo evaluar el impacto presupuestario, en el sistema Nacional de Salud de Colombia, del manejo del asma mediante lamonitorización de óxido nítrico exhalado en pacientes entre 4 y 18 años.Métodos: Se realizó un análisis de impacto presupuestario para evaluar el posible impacto financiero derivado de la implementación de lamonitorización óxido nítrico exhalado fraccionado en el asma. El análisis consideró un horizonte temporal de 5 años y la perspectiva delSistema Nacional de Salud de Colombia. El impacto presupuestario incremental se calculó restando el coste del nuevo tratamiento, en elque se reembolsa el FeNO, del coste del tratamiento convencional sin FeNO (manejo basado en síntomas clínicos (con o sin espirometría /flujo máximo) o guías de asma (o ambos), para los relacionados con el asma). Se realizaron análisis de sensibilidad univariantes de una vía.Resultados: En el análisis del caso base, los costos a 5 años asociados a FeNO y no FeNO se estimaron en 469.904.130 € y 480.485.149 €respectivamente, lo que indica un ahorro para la Salud Nacional de Colombia de 10.581.019 € si se adopta la monitorización de FeNOen el manejo rutinario de pacientes con asma persistente. La solidez de este resultado fue confirmada en el análisis de sensibilidadunivariante, unidireccional.Conclusión: El óxido nítrico exhalado fraccionado ahorró costos en los entornos de emergencia en población pediátrica con asma persistente.Esta evidencia puede ser utilizada por los tomadores de decisiones en nuestro país para mejorar las guías de práctica clínic

Relationship between meteorological conditions and respiratory syncytial virus in a tropical country.

This study aimed to determine which meteorological conditions are associated with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) isolates in a population of children hospitalized with acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in Bogota, Colombia. In an analytical cross-sectional study, links were examined between the number of monthly RSV infections and monthly average climatic variation (temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, wind speed, solar radiation) between 1 January 2010 and 30 April 2011 in a population of hospitalized children aged <3 years with ALRI caused by RSV. Out of a total of 1548 children included in the study (mean age 9·2 ± 8·5 months), 1194 (77·1%) presented RSV infection during the 3-month period from March to May. In the multivariate analysis, after controlling for wind speed, relative humidity, and solar radiation, monthly average temperature [incident rate ratio (IRR) 3·14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·56-6·30, P = 0·001] and rainfall (IRR 1·008, 95% CI 1·00-1·01, P = 0·048) were independently associated with the monthly number of RSV infections. In conclusion, in Bogota, a tropical Latin American city, average temperature and rainfall are the meteorological variables most strongly associated with RSV isolation in children hospitalized with ALRI in the city.