Table 1

Unit costs and sources.

UnitCost/unit (£)Source
Trail asthma reviews
Asthma specialist practice nursePersonal Social Services Research Unit6
 Clinic time1 minute0.48
 Non-attendance21.87 minutesa10.50
 Abortive calls2 minutesb0.96
Telephone costs (peak rates)British Telecom7
 British Telecom local rate1 minute0.04
 British Telecom national rate1 minute0.08
 Average mobile rate1 minute0.18
Healthcare professionals
GPPersonal Social Services Research Unit6
 Surgery consultation9.4 minutes1519.00
 Telephone consultation4.7 minutesc9.69
 GP visit (including travel time)25.2 minutes59.00
Practice nursePersonal Social Services Research Unit6
 Clinic consultationper consultationd10.00
 Telephone consultationper consultatione5.40
Hospital costs
 Respiratory out-patientsper out-patient clinic88.00Personal Social Services Research Unit6
Prescribing costs
Bronchodilatorsper inhaler, device, or tabletBritish National Formulary9
Inhaled steroids
Add-on therapyf
Combination inhalersg
Antibiotics (for chest infections)
Devices (peak flow meters, spacers)
Prednisolone (for acute asthma)

  • Prices are in £ sterling for the year 2000–2001.

  • ↵a Mean duration of surgery reviews.5

  • ↵b Estimated time for an abortive call.

  • ↵c Assuming the telephone consultation at half the duration of a surgery consultation + telephone cost at £0.04/minute.

  • ↵d Assuming 20-minute clinic appointments.

  • ↵e Assuming the telephone consultation at half the duration of a surgery consultation + telephone cost at £0.04/minute.

  • ↵f Long-acting bronchodilators, leukotriene receptor antagonists, theophyllines, anticholinergics, cromones.

  • ↵g Combination inhalers: inhaled steroids + long-acting β2 agonists.