Poster Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2023

Aims While provision of cancer supportive care services for prostate cancer (PCa) patients during and after treatment have demonstrated efficacy in mitigating consequences of the disease, there is a lack of robust economic evidence regarding the benefits of such services. The aim of this financial efficiency evaluation was to assess the value for money of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing (PCSN) and Telenursing programs.

Methods The six stage Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework was used to develop the financial efficiency model for the PCSN programs. Stakeholder consultations with the PCSN team were held to collect costs and generate the benefits associated with delivery of the PCSN program, supplemented with published evidence.  Calculation of impact included dead weight loss, attribution, benefit time frame and discounting. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the robustness of the model.

Results Costs of the program (including referral to other services) and seven major benefits were included in the final analysis: 1. Improved health related quality of life (HRQoL); 2. Reduced emergency department (ED) presentations and hospitalisations; 3. Reduced travel costs; 4. Reduced productivity losses; 5. Reductions in clinical consulting time; 6. Reductions in nurse coordination time; and 7. Reductions in missed appointments. Intangible benefits which could not be monetised were also reported. The net social benefit and SROI for each program and a combined result are shown below.  

Conclusions A conservative SROI analysis was conducted and a strong positive return on investment demonstrated the successful implementation of the program. A qualitative assessment of intangible benefits for patients and healthcare providers showed high levels of satisfaction amongst all stakeholders and the reach of PCSNs across all six PCa survivorship domains.