OBJECTIVES: Person-centred care (PCC) can improve disease-specific management whilst addressing the needs of people living with chronic heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the study was to evaluate the healthcare costs of a remote PCC add-on intervention compared with usual care alone for people with CHF and / or COPD. This intervention has previously been reported to improve self-efficacy.

METHODS: Eligible patients from 9 primary care centres were randomised into either the intervention group (IG, n=110) or control group (CG, n=112). The IG participated in a PCC add-on through a digital platform and telephone support, both groups received care as usual through their primary care centres. Used resources were identified during a 2-year time horizon, time data from the trial and register data, including direct healthcare and drug costs. Healthcare system costs were calculated using national statistics and analysed descriptively by cost components.

RESULTS: Preliminary results indicate total costs corresponded to SEK 566 409 and SEK 203 892 in the IG and CG, respectively. However, the IG had lower costs for inpatient, primary, and specialised outpatient care, as well as drug costs, while poly-clinical care accounted for SEK 317 500 of the total IG costs, predominately impacted by the treatment of an individual patient. Total costs associated with the intervention included documentation and telephone support (SEK 1018) based on an average of 2.5 hours per patient allocated by trial staff.

CONCLUSIONS: Based on the preliminary results a remote PCC add-on intervention for people with COPD and / or CHF was associated with higher healthcare costs than usual care alone, however, the intervention itself only contributed to a small proportion of those total costs. A future economic evaluation will provide a comprehensive evaluation of health outcomes and societal costs, including sensitivity and sub-group analyses.