Cost-effectiveness of a virtual fracture clinic versus traditional in-person fracture clinic care for adults with acute simple fractures: a protocol for a health economic evaluation within the RECITAL trial

RECITAL is a randomised controlled trial comparing care for patients with acute simple fractures in a virtual fracture clinic and a traditional in-person clinic. A total of 312 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to two groups. The economic analysis will evaluate costs and effectiveness from the perspective of the health system, health service, patient, and society. Data on costs and healthcare utilisation will be collected from trial records, hospital electronic medical records, and performance units. Results will be expressed as incremental cost per utility weight gained at 12 weeks and displayed on a cost-effectiveness plane. The study was approved by the ethics committee and findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences.