Economic evaluation in implementation science: Making the business case for implementation strategies

Area of Science:

• Implementation science
• Health economics
• Mental health services research

Background:

• Implementation strategies are vital for adopting mental health evidence-based practices (EBPs).
• Economic factors significantly influence the adoption and sustainability of implementation strategies.
• Healthcare leaders require return-on-investment data to justify investments in implementation support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce clinicians, researchers, and health professionals to economic evaluation in implementation science.
• To provide an overview of economic evaluation methods and their application in implementation science.
• To highlight frameworks and provide an example for conducting economic evaluations of implementation strategies.

Main Methods:

• Overview of economic evaluation methods.
• Discussion of differences between economic evaluation in health services and implementation science.
• Presentation of approaches and frameworks for guiding economic evaluation in implementation science.

Main Results:

• Few studies include implementation cost data or conduct comparative economic analyses.
• Economic evaluation provides critical information for decision-making regarding the efficiency of implementation strategies.
• A case example for cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program is presented.

Conclusions:

• Economic evaluation is essential for the effective and efficient implementation of mental health EBPs.
• Comparative economic evaluations can guide resource allocation for implementation strategies.
• Further research and application of economic evaluation methods in implementation science are recommended.