Case Study

What are households’
non-medical costs

to accommodate Duchenne
muscular dystrophy?

The Question

Our client wanted to better understand and quantify non-medical costs associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) - the question for Medicus was: “What are the added costs incurred by households to accommodate their loved ones with DMD?”

The Approach

Our team worked closely with our client and caregivers / patient advocacy representatives in DMD to design a primary research survey for family caregivers. The survey gathered information on DMD-related non-medical costs, societal participation for boys with DMD, and sources of financial support relied on by households.

Family caregivers of boys with DMD were invited to complete the survey, and the Medicus team analyzed survey results.

The Results

Results from our survey found that households incur substantial non-medical costs to accommodate individuals with DMD, and that multiple sources of financial support are relied on for these expenditures. Survey findings also demonstrated that boys with DMD experience more limited societal participation in the workforce and school.