Correlations between total healthcare, MBS and PBS costs and age, pain intensity and health-related quality of life.
cancer, pain
CANCER
Sample sizes vary due to missing data; HrQOL = health-related quality of life; MBS = Medicare Benefits Schedule; NRS = pain numerical rating scale; PBS = Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule; Correlations were interpreted according to Cohen’s guidelines, i.e., “strong” (≥0.51), “moderate” (0.31–0.50), “weak” (0.11–0.30), and “none” (0–0.10). Statistically significant correlations are bolded. + indicates positive direction; -, negative directionIn the bivariate analyses, there was a statistically significant difference in mean total healthcare costs for gender but not age, cancer type or baseline pain level. Mean total healthcare costs were higher for men ($7,924, 95% CI $6,267, $9,581) than women ($5,367, 95% CI $3,975, $6,760) (U = 3546, 