Table 2. Data sources, estimates and model input parameters of resource unit costs and quantities.
| Resource type | Source of unit costs | Source of resource quantity | Derivation of cost | Costs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard care | Intervention | ||||
| Pharmacist time | Department of Health salary scale | Time-and-motion study | |||
| Mean annual gross salary(42) (A) | 48,960 * | 64,489.5 † | |||
| Employer PRSI @ 10.75% of gross salary(13) (B) | 5,263.2 | 6,932.621 | |||
| Imputed pension cost @ 13.10% of gross salary(13) (C) | 6,413.76 | 8,448.125 | |||
| Overheads @ 40% of gross salary(13) (D) | 19,584 | 25,795.8 | |||
| Total cost per annum (A+B+C+D) | 80,220.96 | 105, 666 | |||
| Cost per hour of work ‡ | 55.00183 | 72.44773 | |||
| Cost per minute of work | 0.9166972 | 1.2074622 | |||
| Healthcare resource use post- discharge medication error | Extent and type of resource utilisation derived by expert elicitation 13 | ||||
| GP consultation
Prescription medication |
HSE PCRS Statistical Analysis of Claims and Payments | ||||
| Hospital outpatient department visit/specialist referral
Emergency department visit Hospital admission ICU admission |
Ready Reckoner of Acute Hospital Inpatient and Daycase Activity and Costs 2013 21 | ||||
| Model input parameter | |||||
| Probability of discharge medication error | Primary study 8 | Point estimate | 0.653 | 0.139 | |
| Discharge medication error cost (€) & | Expert elicitation 13 | Mean (SD; 95%CI) | 1091.12 (220.92; 702.51-1551) | 638.73 (205.76; 248.41-1074.17) | |
| Pharmacist cost (€) & | Time-and-motion study | Mean (95%CI) | 37.21 (29.18-47.39) | 86.70 (58.84-119.77) | |
| Utility decrement | Expert elicitation 13 | Mean (SD) | -0.029 (0.072) | -0.023 (0.075) | |
* Mid-point of pay range (13) of the senior pharmacist salary scale (8 points)
† Mid-point of pay range (13) of basic and senior pharmacist salary scales
‡ Calculation based on 37 hour working week (43), 24 days annual leave (assumption), 9 public holidays per annum (assumption), and one hour break per day (assumption)
& Bootstrap mean costs and confidence intervals
SD = standard deviation; 95%CI = 95% confidence interval