The Effects and Costs of Personalized Budgets for People with Disabilities: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Disability Studies
• Health Economics
• Social Policy

Background:

• Personalized budgets are an approach to funding support for people with disabilities (PwDs).
• Evaluating their impact on benefits and costs is crucial for policy and practice.
• Previous research has yielded heterogeneous findings, necessitating a comprehensive review.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively evaluate the effects of personalized budgets for PwDs.
• To assess a range of benefit outcomes (well-being, satisfaction, quality of life) and cost outcomes.
• To synthesize findings from peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 1985 and 2022.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across PsycINFO, MEDLINE, CINAHL, ASSIA, and Social Care Online databases.
• Inclusion of 23 studies based on quantitative evaluation and quality assessment (Downs and Black Checklist).
• Narrative synthesis due to the heterogeneous nature of the included studies.

Main Results:

• Personalized budget users generally show improved well-being and service satisfaction.
• Mixed effects were observed for individuals with mental health conditions.
• Cost-effectiveness findings are mixed; two of three studies indicate greater cost-effectiveness than alternatives, with potential for reduced service costs in some areas.

Conclusions:

• Personalized budgets appear beneficial for well-being and satisfaction, though nuances exist for specific populations.
• Evidence on cost-effectiveness is developing but suggests potential value for money.
• Further research is needed to address heterogeneity and generalizability.