Table 3

Study characteristics

Study characteristics:	Ref13	Ref14	Refs 15,16	Ref17	Ref18	Ref19	Ref20	Ref21	Ref22	Ref 23
Patients
Osteoarthritis	x			x		x	x	x
Rheumatoid arthritis		x	x		x				x	x
Treatment
Misoprostol	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Placebo	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
H₂ receptor antagonist					x
Misoprostol/diclofenac					x
Study design
Meta-analysis			x	x						x
RCT	x			x		x	x	x	x	x
Cohort study						x
Population survey								x
Selected literature		x			x
Costs
^3-150 Direct costs:
Admission to hospital	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Ambulatory care	x	x	x	x		x	x	x	x	x
Drug treatment (prophylaxis)	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Treatment of adverse events				x					x
Doctor's visit	x	x			x			x
^3-150 Indirect costs							x
Primary outcome
Cost/lives saved	x	x
Cost/adverse events averted				x					x
Cost/QALY^3-151			x
Cost/patient					x		x	x		x
Cost only						x
Misoprostol compared with placebo:
Cost effective	x				a^3-150		x	x
Conditionally cost effective		x		x		x			x
Cost only										x
Costly			x