@article{3170473,
    title = "Health resource utilization associated with skeletal-related events:
results from a retrospective European study",
    author = "Body, Jean-Jacques and Pereira, Joao and Sleeboom, Harm and Maniadakis, and Nikos and Terpos, Evangelos and Acklin, Yves Pascal and Finek, Jindrich and and Gunther, Oliver and Hechmati, Guy and Mossman, Tony and Costa, Luis and and Rogowski, Wojciech and Nahi, Hareth and von Moos, Roger",
    journal = "The European Journal of Health Economics",
    year = "2016",
    volume = "17",
    number = "6",
    pages = "711-721",
    publisher = "Springer-Verlag",
    issn = "1618-7598, 1618-7601",
    doi = "10.1007/s10198-015-0716-7",
    keywords = "Health resource utilization (HRU); Skeletalrelated event (SRE); Bone
metastases; Breast cancer; Prostate cancer; Lung cancer",
    abstract = "Background Bone complications, also known as skeletal-related events
(SREs), are common in patients with bone metastases secondary to
advanced cancers.
Objective To provide a detailed estimate of the health resource
utilization (HRU) burden associated with SREs across eight European
countries.
Methods Eligible patients from centers in Austria, the Czech Republic,
Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland with bone
metastases or lesions secondary to breast cancer, prostate, or lung
cancer or multiple myeloma who had experienced at least one SRE (defined
as radiation to bone, long-bone pathologic fracture, other bone
pathologic fracture, surgery to bone or spinal cord compression) were
entered into this study. HRU data were extracted retrospectively from
the patients' charts from 3.5 months before the index SRE until 3 months
after the index SRE (defined as an SRE preceded by an SRE-free period of
at least 6.5 months).
Results Overall, the mean number of inpatient stays per SRE increased
from baseline by approximately 0.5-1.5 stays, with increases in the
total duration of inpatient stays of approximately 6-37 days per event.
All SREs were associated with substantial increases from baseline in the
frequency of procedures and the number of outpatient and day-care
visits.
Conclusions SREs are associated with substantial HRU owing to
considerable increases in the number and duration of inpatient stays,
and in the number of procedures, outpatient visits, and day-care visits.
These data collectively provide a valuable summary of the real-world SRE
burden on European healthcare systems."
}