Table 1.
Methods Used in Micro-Costing Studies
| First Author | Year of Publication (Location of Data Collection) | Disease or Intervention | Method of Collecting Data on Quantities of Resources | Data on Value of Resources | Primary Objective of the Study |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traverso | 1995 (United States) | Laparoscopic cholecystectomy | Item-by-item database for surgery patients at one hospital | Costs to the hospital with no inclusion of overhead | Cost analysis |
| Holbrook | 1996 (United States) | Pancreato-duodenectomy | Item-by-item database for patients | Costs to the hospital with no inclusion of overhead | Cost analysis |
| Neil | 1998 (United States) | Respiratory distress syndrome | Literature review to determine relevant resources followed by Delphi group assessment of resource needs from expert pane | Average wholesale prices and average reimbursement levels | Direct cost analysis of initial hospitalization |
| Oostenbrink | 1999 (Netherlands) | Glaucoma | Chart review for resource utilization | Observed treatments multiple times and assigned hospital costs | Costs analysis followed by an analysis of patient characteristics related to total costs |
| Barton | 2003 (United Kindgom) | Cochlear implant | After identifying resources that were used from literature reports, clinical coordinators at multiple centers were surveyed | Costs paid by hospital for staff, accommodation, and equipment and charges for inpatient days in NHS system | Cost analysis |
| Ruof | 2003 (Germany) | Rheumatoid arthritis | Administrative data from insurance fund and sickness plan | Administrative uniform value scale | Cost analysis |
| Stone | 2003 (United States) | Outbreak of Klebsiella pneumoniae in a neonatal intensive care unit | Letters and surveys to department managers and minutes from meetings about controlling the outbreak | Hospital specific costs | Cost analysis |
| Griffith | 2005 (United Kingdom) | Cancer genetic services | Defined pathways by speaking with team leaders and surveyed staff about resources used | NHS finance department | Cost analysis accounting for operating costs at small laboratories |
| Henry | 2007 (United States) | Colonoscopy | Direct observation at multiple centers and interviews with clinical personnel, plus patient surveys | Hospital finance department data, with adjustments to labor base on capacity, plus costing of patient time and mileage | Cost analysis |
| Neyt | 2005 (Global) | Herceptin as adjuvant treatment | Personnel, medication, material, equipment costs “tracing” resources | Costs to a university hospital in Flanders, Belgium | Cost-effectiveness analysis |
| Robinson | 2007 (United Kingdom) | Chlamydia screening | Time and motion study on selected days during study with estimates of resources for treatment, plus a patient cost questionnaire | Salaries including employer contributions to national insurance, overhead. Capital and maintenance costs. Travel distance for cars and work loss. | Cost analysis |
| Bouwmans | 2008 (Netherlands) | In vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection | Interviews with gynecologists with time added for non-patient contact time. Interviews with nurses. Assumed pharmaceutical regimen. Administrative and questionnaire for lab. Hospital records for complications. | Average salary scales. Average Dutch wholesale drug prices. Equipment purchase prices. Hospital reference costs. | Cost analysis |
| Schreyogg | 2008 (Multiple European countries) | Appendectomy | Standardized recording template including overhead | Standardized recording template including overhead | Cost analysis accompanied by an analysis of the reasons for cost variation |
| Tan | 2008 (Multiple European countries) | Dental fillings | Survey about patients matching a vignette | Average income. Overhead costs. Registries. Manufacturers. | Cost analysis accompanied by a cross country comparison |