Medication review with follow-up for cardiovascular outcomes: a trial based cost–utility analysis

Aim: To assess the trial-based cost–effectiveness of medication review with follow-up compared with usual care in primary care. Materials & methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial included patients if they were independent older adults, receiving five or more prescriptions, with moderate or high cardiovascular risk. Costs were estimated from the public healthcare sector perspective, and health benefits were measured as quality-adjusted life years. Both of which were used to calculate the incremental cost–effectiveness ratio. Results: Twelve centers completed the study, six (146 patients) in the intervention group and six (145 patients) in the control group. The base-case analysis showed an incremental cost–effectiveness ratio of US$ (2019) 434.4/quality-adjusted life year (95% CI 64.20–996.03). Conclusion: The intervention was cost-effective in the public primary care setting.