Cost categories, units, valuation and unit price, all numbers in Euros and NOK for 2019
| Cost categories | Unit | Valuation | Unit price (€) | Unit price (NOK) | Reference (source) |
| Direct costs of antibiotic treatment (amoxicillin 750 mg three times daily for 100 days)* | Per patient | Cost | 311.5 | 3115 | NOMA price list, Imacillin TevaAmoksicillin -trihydrat, NOK 207.70 per 20 tbl a 750 mg)22 |
| Direct costs of placebo treatment (placebo three times daily for 100 days) | Per patient | Cost | 0 | 0 | Not available at pharmacies, so the price set is 0. (The cost produced for this study was NOK 470.) |
| Non-opioid medication (NSAIDs:ibuprofen,paracetamol, other A-prescription medicines) | Per daily defined dose | Cost | 1.6 | 16 | Pharmacy selling price (over-the-counter) |
| Opioid medication (codein) | Per daily defined dose | Cost | 3.0 | 30 | Pharmacy selling price |
| General practitioner* | Per visit | Cost | 45.8 | 458 | NOMA, general practitioner consultation |
| Medical specialist | Per visit | Cost | 86 | 860 | NOMA, specialist health service consultation (fee*2,+20 min) |
| Chiropractor | Per visit | Cost | 50 | 500 | Norsk Kiropraktorforening estimated average |
| Physiotherapist | Per visit | Cost | 25 | 250 | The Norwegian Physiotherapy Association, estimated average |
| Manual therapist | Per visit | Cost | 41.9 | 419 | The Norwegian Physiotherapy Association, estimated average |
| Psychomotoric physiotherapy | Per visit | Cost | 41.9 | 419 | The Norwegian Physiotherapy Association, estimated average |
| Acupuncture | Per visit | Cost | 75 | 750 | Average estimate from private price lists |
| Other therapists | Per visit | Cost | 75 | 750 | Average estimate from private price lists |
| Back surgery (fusion) | Per surgery | Cost | 9621.4 | 96 214 | DRG215B |
| Hospitalisations (non-surgery) | Per day | Cost | 1140 | 11 400 | DRG247 (/2) per patient |
| Rehabilitation stay (outpatient) | Per day | Cost | 300 | 3000 | UniCare price list, adjusted for health region authority supplements |
| Production loss (225 work days per year)* | Per day | Wage rate adjusted for age and gender | 246.3 | 2463 | Statistics Norway8 23 |
*Costs varied in multiway sensitivity analysis (Tornado diagram): GP, other healthcare costs, production loss (−20 /+20%). The cost of antibiotic treatment varied −50%/+20%, as amoxicillin is a generic product and the price is expected to decrease in the future.
NOMA, Norwegian Medicines Agency; NSAID, non-steriodal anti-inflammatory drug.