Journal of Medical Economics

Mucodyne: the economics of preventing surgery for grommets

Abstract

Prudent management for glue ear currently entails a month period of watchful waiting before grommet insertion if the problem has not been resolved. The costs of administering Mucodyne during the watchful waiting period and the potential resources released from a reduction in the number of grommet insertions were assessed from the perspective of the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. A decision analysis model was used to estimate the probability of resolution of glue ear with both approaches, and the costs of them combined with the resource implications of surgery and its outcomes. The cost difference between the two approaches amounts to �11.06 per patient, based on a difference of 9% between the Mucodyne group and watchful waiting - this represents a number needed to treat (NNT) of 11. The 'break-even' NNT to prevent grommet surgery is 15.2 - an absolute difference of 6.5% of children benefiting from the Mucodyne treatment.