30 May 2025

Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing Program: A Social Return on Investment Analysis Value for Money

In Australia, Prostate cancer (PCa) has a high survival rate (96%) meaning men with PCa may live with the impact of the disease for many years, even decades. The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) manages two Prostate Cancer Specialist Nursing (PCSN) programs: (1) A health service-based program and (2) A telenursing service. There is a paucity of economic evidence regarding the benefits of these programs so Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodology was used to determine social value and return on investment.

Methods: A SROI economic evaluation model was developed in consultation with the PCSN team augmented with published evidence to identify the costs and outcomes, and estimate the benefits associated with the delivery of the PCSN program over 2 years. Attribution, dead weight loss and discounting were calculated and sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the rigour of the model.

Results: The value generated by the PCSN programs over the 2-year period resulted in a SROI ratio of 1:1.62 for the health service-based PCSN program, indicating that for every dollar invested, a return of AUD $1.62 was obtained. The SROI ratios for the Telenursing program and the combined programs were 1:2.34 and 1:1.65, respectively.

Conclusion: Our study provides evidence that further expansion of the PCSN program is likely to have a positive return on investment and benefit the 250,000 men currently living with PCa in Australia. Findings such as these are important in informing cancer care policy and funding decisions.

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