title: Comparisons of Costs between Black Caribbean and White British Patients with Advanced Multiple Sclerosis in the UK.
abstract: Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is now more common among black and minority ethnic groups in the UK but little is known about the costs of care amongst different ethnic groups. Objective. This study examined and compared service use and costs for people severely affected with MS from Black Caribbean (BC) and White British (WB) backgrounds in the UK and identified predictors of cost for both groups. Method. Population-based cross-sectional study of 43 BC and 43 WB patients with MS (EDSS ≥ 6) and their informal caregivers recruited from an MS service in southeast London. Interviews collected data on health and social service use and informal care support. Costs were calculated using UK unit cost data. Using regression analyses we compared costs between the ethnic groups and identified possible predictors of cost. Results. The mean (SD) costs for the WB and BC groups were £ 25,778 ( £ 39,387) and £ 23,186 ( £ 30,433), respectively. Results identified no significant difference in total cost between the two ethnic groups. The EDSS score alone was a significant predictor of cost. Conclusion. Similar costs between ethnic groups indicate that with regard to this MS service and geographical area, access to care was not affected by ethnicity.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Centre for the Economics of Mental and Physical Health, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4297-1978
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Centre for the Economics of Mental and Physical Health, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McCrone
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Cicely Saunders Institute, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, London SE5 9PJ, UK.
authors.forename: Cassie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goddard
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Cicely Saunders Institute, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, London SE5 9PJ, UK.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Cicely Saunders Institute, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, London SE5 9PJ, UK.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burman
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Cicely Saunders Institute, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, London SE5 9PJ, UK.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Cicely Saunders Institute, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, London SE5 9PJ, UK.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3687-1313
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Higginson
authors.affiliation: King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Neurology Department, London SE5 9RS, UK.
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Silber
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Cicely Saunders Institute, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, London SE5 9PJ, UK.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koffman