Table 2.
Critical appraisal of selected studies.
| Study | Well-defined question posed in answerable form | Comprehensive description of competing alternatives | Effectiveness of programme or service established | All important and relevant costs and consequences for each alternative identified | Costs and consequences measured accurately in appropriate physical units | Costs and consequences valued credibly | Costs and consequences adjusted for differential timing | Incremental analysis of costs and consequences of alternatives performed | Allowance made for uncertainty in the estimates of costs and consequences | Presentation and discussion of study results included all issues of concern to users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Beam | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trial Team17 | ||||||||||
| Cochrane et al18 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hurley et al19 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hollinghurst et al20 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Productivity data not included in analysis due to missing values | Missing costs for interventions, labour costs only | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Minimal discussion |
| Gusi et al21 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | No secondary healthcare costs included | Unit costs only reported if significant difference between groups | No references cited for unit costs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Handley et al22 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | No healthcare costs as no difference between groups | Unit costs not reported, components listed | Sources not reported inferred but not explicit cost year | ✓ | ✓ | Sensitivity analysis carried out; 10% missing values | ✓ |
| Sevick et al23 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Sources not identified for unit costs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Munro et al24 | ✓ | Treatment of control group not explicit | ✓ | No measure of exercise. Primary care and personal costs not collected, only programme costs | ✓ | Sources not identified for unit costs; little detail given | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Weaknesses not well highlighted; practical (funder) considerations not mentioned |
| Dzator et al25 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Programme costs only; no quality-of-life measures | Unit costs not reported, components and methods isted | Sources not identified currency and year not specified | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Elley et al11 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Not all sources cited | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dalziel et al10 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Not all sources cited | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Isaacs et al26 | Control only followed for 6 months; intervention 12 months | ✓ | Intervention was not more effective than control | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Elley et al27 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |