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Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression
Published on: January 7, 2019
[Cost-Effectiveness of the Treatment of Depression in Old Age]
Jens-Oliver Bock1, Christian Brettschneider1, Annemarie Wegener1
1Institut für Gesundheitsökonomie und Versorgungsforschung, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf.
Objective:
To conduct a systematic literature review of cost-effectiveness studies evaluating the treatment of depression in old age.
Methods:
Systematic literature search in electronic databases in March 2014.
Results:
Nine studies were included in the review. They were conducted in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. The studies investigated psychological interventions (N = 3), pharmacotherapy (N = 1), and integrated care models (N = 5). The results varied greatly.
Conclusion:
The variation of the results in the included studies does not permit generalized conclusions, especially not for the widespread and recommended pharmacotherapy. Cost-effectiveness of psychological interventions and integrated care programs differed depending on the details of the program designs.
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