Health economic evaluations of non-pharmacological interventions for persons with dementia and their informal caregivers: A systematic review

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Citation: Nickel F, Barth J, & Kolominsky-Rabas PL. (2018). Health economic evaluations of non-pharmacological interventions for persons with dementia and their informal caregivers: A systematic review. BMC Geriatrics, 18(1), 69.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This systematic review aims to review the literature on trial-based economic evaluations of non-pharmacological interventions directly targeted at persons with dementia as well as persons with mild cognitive impairment and their respective caregivers.
METHODS: A systematic literature research was conducted for the timeframe from 2010 to 2016 in the following databases: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, EconLit, Embase, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO and PubMed. Study quality was assessed according to the Drummond criteria.
RESULTS: In total sixteen publications were identified. Health economic evaluations indicated the cost-effectiveness of physical exercise interventions and occupational therapy. There was also evidence to suggest that psychological and behavioral therapies are cost-effective. Health economic studies investigating psychosocial interventions mainly targeted towards informal caregivers showed inconsistent results.
CONCLUSIONS: Due to the increasing prevalence of dementia non-pharmacological interventions and their health economic impact are of increasing importance for health care decision-makers and HTA agencies.

Keywords: Behaviour Modification (e.g., provision of item/tool, incentives, goal setting), Community, Economic evaluation, Education / Awareness & Skill Development / Training, Home, Mental Health, Nursing home/long-term care facility, Phone, Physical Activity, Senior Health, Seniors (60+ years), Social Support (e.g., counseling, case management, outreach programs)