بررسی هزینه صرع با استفاده از یک نرم ار مدیریت الکترونیکی در آلمان

Purpose: This study used an electronic practice management software in daily routine to gather long-

term disease and cost-of-illness (COI) data in patients with epilepsy in Germany.

Methods: Data on socio-economic status, course of epilepsy as well as direct and indirect costs were

recorded using practice software-based questionnaires.

Results: In 2011 we enrolled 359 patients (170 male (47.4%); mean age 50.5  ۲۰.۷ years) in six neurological

practices. The majority of patients had been in long-term seizure remission for more than one year (n = 200,

۵۵.۷%) and in more than two-thirds the anti-epileptic drug (AED) monotherapy (n = 248, 69.1%) was used.

Levetiracetam (31%), lamotrigine (26%) and valproate (24%) were the drugs prescribed most frequently.

Total annual direct costs amounted to s1698 per patient with anticonvulsants (59.9% of total direct

costs) and hospitalization (30.0%) as the main cost factors. Of the patients enrolled 252 (70.2%) were of

working age and indirect annual costs due to absenteeism amounted to s745 per patient.

Potential cost-driving factors were seizure frequency and a recent diagnosis of epilepsy associated

with higher costs. Anticonvulsant treatment in patients aged 65 years and older was associated with

lower drug costs due to prescription of older AEDs.

Conclusion: We were able to demonstrate that electronic practice management software can easily be

used to perform long-term health economic evaluations with a bottom-up approach. The combination of

both physician- and patient-based electronic databases will facilitate performing less expensive studies,

but at the same time simplify large, prospective and multicentre clinical trials.

Purpose: This study used an electronic practice management software in daily routine to gather long-term disease and cost-of-illness (COI) data in patients with epilepsy in Germany.Methods: Data on socio-economic status, course of epilepsy as well as direct and indirect costs wererecorded using practice software-based questionnaires.Results: In 2011 we enrolled 359 patients (170 male (47.4%); mean age 50.5  ۲۰.۷ years) in six neurologicalpractices. The majority of patients had been in long-term seizure remission for more than one year (n = 200,55.7%) and in more than two-thirds the anti-epileptic drug (AED) monotherapy (n = 248, 69.1%) was used.Levetiracetam (31%), lamotrigine (26%) and valproate (24%) were the drugs prescribed most frequently.Total annual direct costs amounted to s1698 per patient with anticonvulsants (59.9% of total directcosts) and hospitalization (30.0%) as the main cost factors. Of the patients enrolled 252 (70.2%) were ofworking age and indirect annual costs due to absenteeism amounted to s745 per patient.Potential cost-driving factors were seizure frequency and a recent diagnosis of epilepsy associatedwith higher costs. Anticonvulsant treatment in patients aged 65 years and older was associated withlower drug costs due to prescription of older AEDs.Conclusion: We were able to demonstrate that electronic practice management software can easily beused to perform long-term health economic evaluations with a bottom-up approach. The combination ofboth physician- and patient-based electronic databases will facilitate performing less expensive studies,but at the same time simplify large, prospective and multicentre clinical trials.