Data sources
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• Medical record abstraction form
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• Patient survey
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Unit costs
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Country-specific unit cost estimates will be applied where available, using standard national sources, e.g.,
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• UK National Health Service Reference Costs
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• German Einheitlicher Bewertungsmaßstab (Uniform Rating Scale)
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• National drug formularies
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• National average wage statistics
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Direct health care costs (all CSU-related)
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• Physician visits, including private practice visits
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• Emergency room visits
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• Hospitalizations
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• Therapies (including drugs, alternative medicine and out-of-pocket expenses)
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• Laboratory tests
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• Transportation costs
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Indirect costs (employed patients; CSU-related)
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• Lost productivity due to sick leave and early retirement (analyzed using the friction cost approach)
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• Reduced productivity due to reduced performance at work (presenteeism)
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