The Economic Burden of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD) in South Korea

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to estimate a direct/indirect medical cost and to provide evidence establishing efficient strategies to reduce medical costs of COPD in Korea.

Detailed Description
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This study is a multi-center research on economic burdens of COPD for a year. It is composed of three phases detailed as follow. Phase 1: Direct Cost Estimation in COPD patients (N = 400) Direct cost determined as amount of money expended to medical institutes for treatment. Estimated costs, based on the information from Health insurance review agency(HIRA) and The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, are collected. Phase 2: Indirect cost Estimation by Sampling Survey in COPD patient Indirect cost is extra-expanses excluding hospital fees, including cost for transportation, medical instruments, home care services and loss of labor capacity reduction. The information was collected by structured questionnaire for 12 weeks. Phase 3: Direct/Indirect cost is validated and analyzed based on the collected information from phase 1 and 2 according to severity defined by the GOLD guideline.

Official Title
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The Economic Burden of Patients With COPD in South Korea

Conditions
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COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Direct cost
* Other: Indirect cost


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Over 20 years old COPD patients Exclusion Criteria: Patients who disagree with participating in research

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 20 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Mild Group<br>FEV₁/FVC <70% and FEV₁≥80% direct/indirect cost | Other: Direct cost<br>* Money spent to treat COPD in medical institute based on HIRA<br>Other: Indirect cost<br>* extra-expanses excluding hospital fees<br>|
| Moderate Group<br>FEV₁/FVC <70% and 50%≤FEV₁≤80% direct/indirect cost | Other: Direct cost<br>* Money spent to treat COPD in medical institute based on HIRA<br>Other: Indirect cost<br>* extra-expanses excluding hospital fees<br>|
| Severe Group<br>FEV₁/FVC <70% and 30%≤FEV₁≤50% direct/indirect cost | Other: Direct cost<br>* Money spent to treat COPD in medical institute based on HIRA<br>Other: Indirect cost<br>* extra-expanses excluding hospital fees<br>|
| Very Severe Group<br>FEV₁/FVC <70% and FEV₁<30% direct/indirect cost | Other: Direct cost<br>* Money spent to treat COPD in medical institute based on HIRA<br>Other: Indirect cost<br>* extra-expanses excluding hospital fees<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total cost of COPD | Korean won, KRW | 1 year | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The number of acute exacerbations | Number of events | 1 year | 
| The cost of alternative medication use | We will add up the costs of herbal medicine, health supplement, medical equipments and respiratory rehabilitation. According to patients, the items of alternative medication use would be different. | three months | 
| Cost of productivity lost | Reduction of working hour and monthly income for being late or abscence from work. | Last 7days from filling out questionnaires | 
| EuroQol five dimension(EQ-5D) | Measured by questionnaire based by EQ -5D ( EQ-5D essentially consists of 2 pages - the EQ-5D descriptive system and the EQ visual analogue scale (EQ VAS) . The EQ-5D-5L descriptive system comprises the following 5 dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Each dimension has 5 levels: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems, and extreme problems ) | 3 months | 
| The total number of visits | primary clinics, emergency department and hospital admission. | 1 year | 
| Nursing cost | payment for nurse (Korean won, KRW) | 1 year (past 1 year before filling questionnaires) |