Health Economic Evaluation
What does FICUS cost – and what does it offer?
To support the assessment of the family-centered FICUS® care model according to the WZW criteria (effectiveness, appropriateness, and cost-efficiency), a health economic evaluation is being conducted.
The first step analyzes the additional costs incurred by implementing the FICUS® care model at the ICU level and from delivering the family intervention per case. This is followed by a cost-effectiveness analysis that compares the net costs (after accounting for any savings) with the quality of life outcomes for the patients' family members. The evaluation takes into account both the healthcare system perspective in a narrower sense and the broader societal or economic perspective. The latter includes avoided work absences and productivity losses.
A budget impact analysis also estimates the projected costs if the model were to be implemented across all ICU units in Switzerland certified by the Swiss Society of Intensive Care Medicine (SGI), based on all cases that meet the FICUS study's inclusion criteria.
The results will be available soon.