Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/244467 
Year of Publication: 
2010
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper No. 13/2010
Publisher: 
Örebro University School of Business, Örebro
Abstract: 
Aims: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is fatal without treatment and time to defibrillation is an extremely important factor in relation to survival. We performed a cost-benefit analysis of dual dispatch defibrillation by ambulance and fire services in the County of Stockholm, Sweden.Methods and Results: A cost-benefit analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of dual dispatch defibrillation. The increased survival rates were estimated from a real world implemented intervention and the monetary value of a life (€ 2.2 million) was applied to this benefit by using results from a recent stated-preference study. The estimated costs include defibrillators (including expendables/maintenance), training, hospitalisation/health care, call-outs for the fire services, overhead resources and costs for the dispatch centre. The estimated number of additional saved lives was 16 per year, yielding a benefit-cost ratio of 36. The cost per quality-adjusted life years (QALY) was estimated to be € 13 000 and the cost per saved life was € 60 000. Conclusions: The intervention of dual dispatch defibrillation by ambulance and fire services in the County of Stockholm had positive economic effects. For the cost-benefit analysis the return on investment was high and the cost-effectiveness showed levels below the threshold value for economic efficiency used in Sweden. The cost-utility analysis categorises the cost per QALY as medium.
Subjects: 
Cost-benefit analysis
cost-utility analysis
cost-effectiveness analysis
cardiac arrest
defibrillation
ambulance
fire services
JEL: 
D61
H43
I18
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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