Table 2.

 Data sources and unit costs used in costing interventions for chronic or recurrent low back pain

	Unit cost (£)
Primary care:
Doctor practice consultation	24.00*
Doctor telephone consultation	25.00*
Doctor home visit	69.00*
Practice nurse consultation	10.00*
Nurse practitioner consultation	15.00*
“Out of hours” doctor telephone consultation	54.95†
“Out of hours” doctor home visit	69.00*
Primary care physiotherapist	20.00*
Visit to accident and emergency department	61.00‡
Outpatient appointments:
Orthopaedics or musculoskeletal	133.00 (first visit), 67.00 (follow-up)‡
Rheumatology	196.00(first visit), 91.00 (follow-up)‡
Pain management, health psychology, neurology	185.00(first visit), 85.00 (follow-up)‡
Physiotherapy	90.32‡
Homoeopathic hospital	71.20§
Inpatient stays:
Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (HRG R16, 13 nights)	2065‡
Pain management ward (HRG A07, 21 nights)	2984‡
Neurology (pain relief) (HRG A07, 14 nights)	2172‡
Prescribed drugs	By individual drug¶
Travel by car	0.50 per mile**
Intervention:
Alexander technique, massage	30.00 per session††
Exercise prescription (doctor consultation)	24.00*
Exercise prescription (nurse consultation)	5.00 per 10 minutes*

*From Curtis et al.¹⁰

†Practice consultation grossed up by Beale et al.¹⁴

‡From Department of Health tariff.¹¹

§Reported directly

¶From British National Formulary.¹²

**From the AA schedule.¹³

††Rate paid to therapists and teachers taking part in the study.