Long‐term quality of life and cost‐effectiveness of treatment of partial thickness burns: A randomized controlled trial comparing enzyme alginogel vs silver sulfadiazine (FLAM study)

The clinical effectiveness and scar quality of the randomized controlled trial comparing enzyme alginogel with silver sulfadiazine (SSD) for treatment of partial thickness burns were previously reported. Enzyme alginogel did not lead to faster wound healing (primary outcome) or less scar formation. In the current study, the health‐related quality of life (HRQoL), costs, and cost‐effectiveness of enzyme alginogel compared with SSD in the treatment of partial thickness burns were studied. HRQoL was evaluated using the Burn Specific Health Scale‐Brief (BSHS‐B) and the EQ‐5D‐5L questionnaire 1 week before discharge and at 3, 6, and 12 months postburn. Costs were studied from a societal perspective (health care and nonhealth‐care costs) for a follow‐up period of 1 year. A cost‐effectiveness analysis was performed using cost‐effectiveness acceptability curves and comparing differences in societal costs and Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) at 1 year postburn. Forty‐one patients were analyzed in the enzyme alginogel group and 48 patients in the SSD group. None of the domains of BSHS‐B showed a statistically significant difference between the treatment groups. Also, no statistically significant difference in QALYs was found between enzyme alginogel and SSD (difference −0.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.09 to 0.03; P = .30). From both the health care and the societal perspective, the difference in costs between enzyme alginogel and SSD was not statistically significant: the difference in health‐care costs was €3210 (95% CI, €‐1247 to €7667; P = .47) and in societal costs was €3377 (95% CI €‐6229 to €12 982; P = .49). The nonsignificant differences in costs and quality‐adjusted life‐years in favor of SSD resulted in a low probability (<25%) that enzyme alginogel is cost‐effective compared to SSD. In conclusion, there were no significant differences in quality of life between both treatment groups. Enzyme alginogel is unlikely to be cost‐effective compared with SSD in the treatment of partial thickness burns.