OBJECTIVES: Despite the often low-cost of products currently used for intertrigo treatment, the associated care as well as the persistency of the condition result in significant costs for the health care system. This investigation aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of a moisture wicking fabric containing antimicrobial silver complex (MWF) compared to current UK standard of care (SoC).

METHODS: A Markov model was constructed to compare the cost per resolved case of non-infected intertrigo as a result of the two treatment options in a British care home setting. SoC was defined as a first line treatment of Daktacort (1% hydrocortisone and 2% miconazole) cream as recommended by the Primary Care Dermatology Society. Efficacy data was extracted from a randomised controlled trial of Daktacort in UK primary care involving 83 people with intertrigo. Effectiveness data for the MWF was extracted from a prospective single-arm observational study from the US involving 21 people with intertrigo. Treatment costs were sourced from Drug Tariff and NHS pay scales. A one-way sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the robustness of the results.

RESULTS: The Markov model found that MWF provides a cost-saving of £0.32 per case of intertrigo compared to SoC. This was mainly a result of the MWF providing a 73% 5-day resolution rate in clinical symptoms of erythema, itching/burning, satellite lesions and denudement compared to 36% with SoC. The 1-way sensitivity analysis showed that the resolution rates and nursing time were the most impactful variables.

CONCLUSIONS: MWF was found to be a cost-saving treatment strategy when applying a Markov model to estimate the cost of treating intertrigo. This analysis did not consider the value of improved health and QoL outcomes as a result of more effective treatment periods, which could add further validity to the result.