November's highlight article describes the outcome of a health-economic evaluation, comparing hydrophilic-coated with non-coated catheters for intermittent catheterization. The study uses computer modeling to simulate a population with life-long intermittent catheter use.
The results show that from the age of 40, the life-long use of hydrophilic-coated instead of non-coated catheters avoids on average 18 complications per patient and reduces healthcare costs by $10,184 per patient. This translates into a quality of life gain of 0.55 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs).
