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Cognitive remediation therapy in schizophrenia: cost-effectiveness analysis
Anita Patel1, Martin Knapp, Renee Romeo
1Centre for the Economics of Mental Health, Health Service and Population Research Department, Box 24, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom. anita.patel@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Schizophrenia Research
|January 9, 2010
Summary
Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) improved working memory in schizophrenia patients without increasing costs. This therapy shows significant cost-effectiveness, particularly in the short term, offering potential long-term benefits for social functioning.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Health Economics
Background:
- Cognitive deficits are a core symptom in schizophrenia, impacting daily functioning.
- Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) aims to improve cognitive impairments in psychiatric disorders.
- Evidence on the cost-effectiveness of CRT for schizophrenia is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of CRT compared to usual care in individuals with schizophrenia.
- To assess the impact of CRT on working memory and health/societal costs.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial compared usual care plus CRT with usual care alone.
- Participants diagnosed with schizophrenia and cognitive/social functioning difficulties were included.
- Health/social care and societal costs were measured at 14 and 40 weeks post-randomization.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in total health/social care or societal costs were observed between groups.
- An additional 21% of participants in the CRT group showed improved working memory at both follow-ups.
- There was an 80% probability of CRT being cost-effective compared to usual care in hypothetical scenarios.
Conclusions:
- CRT effectively improves working memory in schizophrenia patients with cognitive deficits at no additional cost.
- While cost-effective short-term, CRT's medium-term cost-saving potential may be limited due to increased service utilization.
- Longer follow-up is needed to ascertain potential long-term benefits like improved social functioning and reduced service reliance.
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