Cost‐effectiveness analysis of continuous positive airway pressure treatment for obstructive sleep apnea in Singapore from a health system perspective

Abstract

SummaryThis study assessed the cost‐effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure treatment for obstructive sleep apnea in Singapore from a health system perspective. The analysis evaluated a 5‐year care pathway using a Markov model, considering per‐patient costs of treatment, health system cost savings of obstructive sleep apnea and attributed conditions, the effectiveness measured in disability‐adjusted life years with a discount rate of 3% and a weighted 5‐year continuous positive airway pressure adherence of 74.1% from Singapore studies. Per‐patient costs of treatment were from a large public hospital in Singapore. Efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure treatment, health system costs and disability‐adjusted life years were obtained from literature; costs are in US dollars. We conducted probabilistic sensitivity analysis, one‐way sensitivity analysis and what‐if analysis. Based on a willingness‐to‐pay threshold of US $50,000 per disability‐adjusted life year in USA, continuous positive airway pressure therapy was highly cost‐effective, with an incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio of $13,822 per disability‐adjusted life year averted. Compared with the annual total costs of $856 for patients with continuous positive airway pressure treatment diagnosed by an inpatient sleep study, the total costs for those diagnosed by a home sleep test were $625, resulting in a remarkable 27% reduction per patient per year. One‐way sensitivity analysis indicated that costs of treatment, effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure treatment and adherence had a higher impact on the cost‐effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure therapy. The what‐if analysis suggested that for continuous positive airway pressure treatment to be cost‐effective, adherence rate should be at least 16.1%. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers in making informed decisions on funding diagnosis and continuous positive airway pressure therapy within Singapore's healthcare system.