Economic Evaluation of the Keep Well Programme within Glasgow North and East

We were asked to assess the cost effectiveness of the Keep Well programme as a primary prevention initiative, where the ultimate objective is to reduce future CVD events of currently asymptomatic patients. The patient group was within Glasgow (North and East) and the evaluation period was from October 2006 to August 2008. Keep Well programme activities were defined as management and coordination, patient engagement, GP screening of CVD risk factors, subsequent referral to appropriate behavioural interventions and the prescription of pharmaceuticals. It is important to be clear regarding the rationale of economic evaluation and the data required for a rigorous evaluation that will be useful for decision makers. This section serves as necessary context behind the particular approach taken in the Keep Well economic evaluation. The immediate aim of an economic evaluation is to make objective inferences regarding whether a programme provides value for money. By comparing economic evaluations across different programmes, decision makers then have an ability to allocate limited budgets to the best performing programmes and interventions on an objective, transparent and accountable basis