Cost effectiveness of an intervention focused on reducing bathing disability

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Economics
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Bathing disability significantly impacts older adults' functional decline, quality of life, and societal economic burden.
• Early intervention is crucial to mitigate the negative consequences of reduced independence in daily living activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of an intervention designed to address bathing disability in older populations.
• To assess the impact of the intervention on Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) and societal costs over an 8-year period.

Main Methods:

• A five-state Markov model simulated hypothetical cohorts of community-dwelling older adults with bathing disability.
• The model tracked transitions between dependency states and death, incorporating societal costs over 8 years.
• An intervention group was compared to a control group, with intervention effects modeled as an increased probability of recovery.

Main Results:

• The intervention resulted in a gain of 0.052 QALYs per person over 8 years.
• Societal costs were reduced by €2410 per person compared to the control group.
• The intervention's effectiveness in promoting recovery was a more significant driver of QALY gains and cost reduction than its direct cost.

Conclusions:

• Interventions targeting bathing disability in older adults are a cost-effective allocation of resources.
• The intervention leads to significant improvements in quality of life (QALYs) and reductions in long-term societal costs.
• Promoting safe and independent bathing task performance offers a valuable approach to enhancing geriatric care and reducing healthcare expenditures.