Cost-utility of Aquatic Training for Women with Fibromyalgia
Author Information
Author(s): Gusi Narcís, Tomas-Carus Pablo
Primary Institution: University of Extremadura
Hypothesis
Is adding an aquatic exercise programme to the usual care of women with fibromyalgia cost-effective?
Conclusion
The addition of an aquatic exercise programme to the usual care regime for fibromyalgia in women is cost effective in terms of both health care costs and societal costs.
Supporting Evidence
- The aquatic programme was associated with a greater increase in health-related quality of life compared to usual care.
- 95% probability that the addition of the water-based programme is cost-effective if the ceiling of inversion is € 14,200/QALY.
- The mean incremental QALY associated with the intervention was 0.131.
Takeaway
This study shows that doing exercises in warm water can help women with fibromyalgia feel better and is worth the money spent on it.
Methodology
Participants were randomly assigned to an exercise group or a control group, with the exercise group participating in a water-based exercise programme for 8 months.
Potential Biases
Participants were excluded if they used other therapies, which may affect the results.
Limitations
The small sample size and the self-selection of participants may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
All participants were women aged 37 to 71 years with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
Statistical Information
P-Value
3,947 (health care perspective), 7,878 (societal perspective)
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 0.011 to 0.290
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website