The implementation costs of an electronic prevention programme in Belgian general practice.

INTRODUCTION

Guidelines to prevent cardiovascular (CV) disease are widely available. To implement these guidelines an electronic prevention programme (EPP) with a risk calculator for general practitioners (GPs) was developed. The aim of the present study was to calculate the implementation cost per installation.

METHODS

This cost study is part of a larger clinical trial, studying the effects of interventions in GP-practice on the management of CV risk factors. Participating GPs were asked to install the EPP. They could take part in a group education session or receive education by e-mail, telephone or at home. After a prospective cost registration, the cost per installation and a sensitivity analysis were calculated.

RESULTS

185 GPs participated in the study. The total implementation cost of the EPP was euro83,939. As the EPP was successfully installed by 102 GPs, the mean cost equals euro823 per GP. Sensitivity analyses showed a decrease in costs due to a decrease of the costs of group education and/or an increase of installations.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that it is possible to implement an EPP for cardiovascular prevention with an acceptable cost.