Cost savings and quality-of-life gains associated with the use of an AI-powered digital tool for self-management of chronic pain based on a multicenter cohort study.
Academic Article
Overview
abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a highly prevalent disease, leading to high health care costs, impaired productivity, and decreased quality of life. An artificial intelligence (AI)-powered, digital tool for self-management (PaindrainerTM) has been shown to be an effective treatment in chronic pain and may have potential to reduce the burden on costs and quality of life. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to estimate the cost savings and quality-of-life gains associated with the use of an AI-powered, digital tool for self-management of chronic pain. The study is a subsequent health economic analysis of previously published data. METHOD: Resource use and quality-of-life data were derived from a one-arm, multicenter study in the US. Differences between baseline and follow-up (6 and 12 weeks) were translated to an annual monetary estimate, using published literature, national statistics and accepted threshold values for a quality-adjusted life year (QALY). RESULT: At 12 weeks, the use of an AI-powered digital tool was associated with a reduction in health care costs by $127 per user and an increase in annual productivity by $930 per user. In addition, the intervention was associated with an increase in health of 0.0275 QALYs, corresponding to a monetized value of $1,375. CONCLUSION: The analysis of cost savings and quality-of-life gains associated with the use of an AI-powered digital tool for pain self-management demonstrates significant potential improvements in measured parameters of in total up to $2,432 per person ($7,380 per year assuming 70% compliance), supporting this as an important treatment alternative.
