Cost-effectiveness of multi-component interventions to prevent delirium in older people admitted to medical wards

there is evidence to suggest that delirium incidence can be reduced in older people admitted to medical services using multi-component interventions that target delirium risk factors. The cost-effectiveness of this approach is uncertain. We therefore developed a novel cost-effectiveness model for delirium prevention.

we compared multi-component delirium prevention intervention with usual care using a model based on a decision tree analysis. The model was used to estimate the incremental net monetary benefit (INMB). The robustness of the cost-effectiveness result was explored using deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.

the multi-component prevention intervention was cost-effective when compared with usual care. It was associated with an INMB of £2,200 using a cost-effectiveness threshold of £20,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). It remained cost-effective in the majority of the deterministic sensitivity analyses and was cost-effective in 96.8% of the simulations carried out in the probabilistic sensitivity analysis.

our analysis has shown convincingly that multi-component prevention interventions for delirium should be considered as a cost-effective health-care strategy for medically ill people admitted to hospital. It is an attractive intervention for health-care planners as they strive to reconfigure their services to better meet the needs of an ageing population.