Cost-effectiveness of malaria diagnosis using rapid diagnostic tests compared to microscopy or clinical symptoms alone in Afghanistan

Table 3 Cost per unit of health service in study health centres and household cost per treatment seeking episode, low transmission region of Afghanistan, cost in US$ (AFN50.33 = US$1), 2009

	Mean	Median	Minimum	Maximum	IQR
Health sector cost per service in US$ ^#
Microscopy	8.32	7.99	6.92	9.89
Rapid diagnostic test	1.30	1.31	1.28	1.33
Outpatient visit excl drugs	0.37	0.40	0.26	0.45
Artimisinin-based combination therapy (SP/AS), adult course	1.28	1.28	1.21	1.42
Artimisinin-based combination therapy (SP/AS), child course	0.73	0.73	0.69	0.81
Chloroquine, adult course	0.16	0.15	0.15	0.17
Chloroquine, child course	0.07	0.07	0.07	0.08
Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, adult course	0.16	0.15	0.15	0.17
Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, child course	0.07	0.07	0.07	0.08
Antibiotics, adult course	0.16	0.15	0.15	0.17
Antibiotics, child course	0.16	0.15	0.15	0.17
Diagnostics training cost in US$ for health personnel per patient enrolled
Microscopy	0.10
Rapid diagnostic test	0.03
Household cost in US$ (over a period of 28 days from the first visit) ^&
Out-of-pocket expenditure, patient appropriately treated	3.12	0.00	0.00	38.74	(0.00; 1.99)
Out-of-pocket expenditure, patient inappropriately treated	2.26	0.00	0.00	21.46	(0.00; 2.78)
Opportunity cost of time lost, patient appropriately treated	5.80	4.94	0.00	19.75	(1.23; 8.64)
Opportunity cost of time lost, caregiver of patient inappropriately treated	3.20	2.47	0.00	11.11	(0.00; 6.17)
Opportunity cost of time lost, patient inappropriately treated	5.20	3.70	0.00	12.35	(3.70; 8.64)
Opportunity cost of time lost, caregiver of patient inappropriately treated	2.73	3.70	0.00	8.64	(0.00; 3.70)

^#Incorporates the full cost of offering services at public health centres including prices of RDTs, microscopy consumables or drugs as well as personnel, dispensing, utilities, and capital cost of buildings and equipment.
^&Lost time valued at US$1.23 per day equal to GDP per capita per day in 2009 [34].
IQR = interquartile range.

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