Table 2.
Cost of Interventions to Prevent or Treat Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections and Duration of Clinical Events
| Description | Mean Cost per Unit Time or per Item (US$) | Range Tested (US$) | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acupuncture, initial session fee plus each monthly sessiona | 2.51/d | 1.37–4.60 | |
| Cranberry pillb | 0.75/d | 0.13–2.25 | |
| Estrogen | 0.50/d | 0.14–31.63 | [61] |
| Daily antibiotics/nitrofurantoin, 100 mg once daily (AWP) | 1.95/d | 1–4 | [61] |
| Ciprofloxacin, 250 mg twice daily (AWP) | 4.44/d | 2–10 | [61] |
| Ciprofloxacin, 500 mg twice daily (AWP) | 5.38/d | 2–11 | [61] |
| Self-treatment for yeast infection | 16.14 | 8–32 | [32] |
| Hospitalization for pyelonephritis | 1782.28/d | 850–3600 | [49] |
| Outpatient treatment for infection unresponsive to fluoroquinolones or pyelonephritis | 29.77/d | 15–60 | [61] |
| Follow-up physician visit | 97.77 | 65–132 | [50–53] |
| Initial urinalysis | 20.78 | 10–42 | [32] |
| Follow-up urinalysis | 20.78 | 10–42 | [32] |
| Urine culture | 46.42 | 23–93 | [32] |
| Vaginal smear | 13.50 | 10.65–16.25 | [32] |
| STI test | 67.60 | 20–155 | [32] |
| Description, duration, d (range) | |||
| Hospitalization for pyelonephritis | 3 | 1–5 | [37, 38] |
| Outpatient treatment for infection unresponsive to fluoroquinolones | 5 | 3–10 | [38] |
| Outpatient treatment for pyelonephritis | 7 | 5–14 | [55, 62] |
Abbreviations: AWP, average wholesale price; STI, sexually transmitted infection.
a Cost of monthly acupuncture sessions was determined by calculating the average cost of a session plus cost of the initial session from 30 different acupuncture clinics across the United States: Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs (Virginia Beach, Virginia), Acupuncture and Holistic Health Center (Jacksonville, Florida), Acupuncture Berea (Berea, Kentucky), Acupuncture Center (Maui, Hawaii), Akimi Acupuncture (Carmel, Indiana), Alchemy Healing Arts (Mill Creek, Washington), Berkeley Community Acupuncture (Berkeley, California), Boulder Holistic Acupuncture (Boulder, Colorado), Charlotte Acupuncture & Wellness Center (Charlotte, North Carolina), Cumming Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine (Cumming, Georgia), Dakota Family Acupuncture (Bismarck, North Dakota), East Mountain Acupuncture (Cold Spring, New York), Edgewater Athletic Club (Chicago, Illinois), Goforth Acupuncture and Massage (Solana Beach, California), Healing Hands Chiropractic Family Wellness Center (Londonderry, New Hampshire), Healing Tao Institute (Austin, Texas), Hobbs Acupuncture and Integrated Medicine (Atlanta, Georgia), Holistic Points (Hudson, Ohio), Intouch (New York City, New York), Live Oak Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine (Waco, Texas), Minneapolis Acupuncture (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Northwoods Acupuncture and Massage (Woodruff, Wisconsin), Pathways to Wellness (Boston, Massachusetts), Peaceful Spirit Massage & Wellness Centers (Tucson, Arizona), Seattle Athlete Acupuncture Clinic (Seattle, Washington), Spokane Acupuncture Clinic (Spokane, Washington), Sunrise Acupuncture Clinic (Salt Lake City, Utah), Triplett Acupuncture (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), Wilson Acupuncture & Healing Arts Center (Wilson, Wyoming), Yo San Community Clinic (Los Angeles, California).
b Daily cranberry pill cost was calculated based on a survey of all available cranberry pill products offered by 8 major national pharmacy stores (Amazon, CVS, drugstore.com, GNC, Rite Aid, The Vitamin Shoppe, Walgreens, and Walmart).