Cost-effectiveness of educational interventions to improve patient outcomes in blood pressure control

Prev Med. 1985 Nov;14(6):782-800. doi: 10.1016/0091-7435(85)90071-4.

Abstract

To examine the relative cost-effectiveness of single versus multiple patient education strategies to reduce hypertension, we assigned patients to seven intervention groups and to a usual-care control group using a randomized factorial design. We compared cost-effectiveness measures for single, double, and triple combinations of (a) a clinic exit interview with patients to clarify their medical regimens, (b) an educational meeting with a member of the patient's family to aid in management at home, and (c) a series of small group sessions to help patients overcome personal barriers to management. We observed consistent results for six different effectiveness measures under a variety of decision-making rules. Our results suggest that in the absence of targeting of multiple interventions to systematically selected high-risk patients, multiple intervention combinations are not more cost-effective than single interventions.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Body Weight
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Family
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / prevention & control*
  • Interviews as Topic
  • Patient Compliance
  • Patient Education as Topic / economics*
  • Psychotherapy, Group
  • Random Allocation
  • Risk
  • Time Factors
  • United States