Cost consequence of diagnostic procedure (means): comparison between UC group and SRN group. Boldface type indicates significant difference.
| Cost Components | Usual Care, n = 96* | SRN Group, n = 97 | Difference (95% UI**) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Units | Costs (€) | Units | Costs (€) | ||
| Waiting time, wks | 12.1 | 2.8 | −9.3 (−10.0 to −8.4) | ||
| No. “no shows” | 8 | 0 | −8 | ||
| No. FM diagnoses (%) | 66 (75) | n = 88 | 89 (92) | 23 (17) | |
| 70 (73) | n = 96 | 19 (19) | |||
| n = 88 | |||||
| Total consultations (RMT and/or SRN) | 3.1 | 2.5 | −0.6 (−1.1 to 0.0) | ||
| Total length of consultation (min) | 124 | 144 | 21 (−2 to 42) | ||
| Costs of consultations with RMT and/or SRN | 210 | 162 | −48 (−75 to −22) | ||
| Costs of blood tests | 23 | 44 | 21 (12 to 30) | ||
| Costs of function tests | 48 | 14 | −34 (−54 to −13) | ||
| Total costs | 281 | 219 | −62 (−103 to −20) | ||
| Patient satisfaction*** | n = 85 | n = 94 | |||
| Take seriously | 0.17 | 0.00 | −0.17 (−0.47 to 0.00) | ||
| Know problems very well | 1.86 | 1.58 | −0.28 (−1.29 to 0.71) | ||
| Take enough time for me | 0.74 | 0.00 | −0.74 (−1.26 to −0.33) | ||
| Take care that I can tell story | 0.95 | 0.11 | −0.84 (−1.52 to −0.29) | ||
| Tell findings at the end of consultation | 0.85 | 0.25 | −0.60 (−1.30 to 0.01) | ||
| Pay attention to (psycho)social aspects of illness | 2.42 | 0.48 | −1.94 (−2.71 to −1.19) | ||
| Give clear information about disorder | 1.47 | 0.24 | −1.23 (−1.99 to −0.49) | ||
| Give useful advice | 4.96 | 1.59 | −3.37 (−4.53 to −2.23) | ||
| Acceptable waiting time | 1.54 | 0.20 | −1.34 (−1.74 to −0.95) | ||
↵* 8 patients canceled the diagnostic consultation at the outpatient clinic.
↵** UI: uncertainty interval based on bootstrap replications.
↵*** Quality effect by QUOTE: Quality of Care Through the Patient’s Eyes measurement instrument. Higher values indicate less satisfaction; values ≥ 1 reflect care aspects that could be improved. UC: usual care; SRN: specialized rheumatology nurse; RMT: rheumatologist.