Table 5.
Cost effectiveness at 48 hours for treating febrile preschool children with paracetamol, ibuprofen, or both
| Paracetamol | Ibuprofen | Paracetamol + ibuprofen | Paracetamol + ibuprofen v paracetamol | Paracetamol + ibuprofen v ibuprofen | Ibuprofen v paracetamol | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHS perspective (n=154) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) total cost (£) | 11.33 (23.18) | 8.49 (29.13) | 8.16 (16.36) | — | — | — |
| Incremental cost (95% CI) (£) | — | — | — | −3.16 (−11.05 to 4.72) | −0.33 (−9.59 to 8.93) | −2.84 (−13.14 to 7.46) |
| Proportion (SD) of children recovering*† | 0.27 (0.45) | 0.27 (0.45) | 0.24 (0.43) | — | — | — |
| Incremental benefit (95% CI) | — | — | — | −0.04 (−0.21 to 0.13) | −0.03 (−0.21 to 0.14) | −0.01 (−0.18 to 0.17) |
| Cost per extra child recovering† | — | — | — | £80.70 | £9.62 | £537.65 |
| Parent perspective (n=143) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) total cost (£) | 23.86 (62.20) | 20.60 (58.52) | 25.07 (51.60) | — | — | — |
| Incremental cost (95% CI) (£) | — | — | — | 1.20 (−22.20 to 24.60) | 4.47 (−17.90 to 26.90) | −3.27 (−27.70 to 21.20) |
| Proportion (SD) of children recovering† | 0.30 (0.46) | 0.29 (0.46) | 0.23 (0.43) | — | — | — |
| Incremental benefit (95% CI) | — | — | — | −0.06 (−0.25 to 0.12) | −0.05 (−0.23 to 0.13) | −0.01 (−0.20 to 0.17) |
| Cost per extra child recovering† | — | — | — | £−18.87 | £−86.55 | £268.78 |
*Based on complete cases: proportions vary by perspective due to missing data.
†Recovering is defined as “returning to normal for that child.”