Societal consequences of IPS implementation in Norway 2012-2019: study protocol for the IPSRON effectiveness study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mental Healthcare Services Research
• Health Economics

Background:

• Individuals with moderate to severe mental illness face significant barriers to workforce inclusion, leading to high welfare dependency and increased societal costs.
• Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is a supported employment model aiming to integrate individuals into the open labor market.
• While randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrate IPS efficacy, its large-scale implementation impacts on broader societal outcomes remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the social and economic benefits of large-scale Individual Placement and Support (IPS) implementation in Norway.
• To evaluate the population-level effectiveness of IPS on employment, welfare dependency, mental health, quality of life, and social functioning.
• To analyze the financial implications of IPS implementation from a public purse perspective.

Main Methods:

• A naturalistic study design using Norwegian registry data from 2012-2019, focusing on individuals aged 18-45 receiving specialist mental healthcare without steady employment.
• Work package 1 mapped IPS availability and implementation across Norway.
• Work package 2 evaluated population-level outcomes (health, mortality, quality of life, social functioning) comparing areas with and without IPS.
• Work package 3 assessed financial implications by synthesizing resource use, implementation costs, and outcome data.

Main Results:

• The study examined societal effects of IPS on employment, welfare dependency, healthcare utilization, mortality, crime, and victimization.
• Emphasis was placed on long-term outcomes and modeling economic consequences.
• Findings will inform policy and strategies for scaling IPS implementation.

Conclusions:

• Large-scale implementation of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is expected to yield significant social and economic benefits.
• The study provides crucial evidence on the effectiveness and financial implications of IPS, informing future policy decisions.
• IPS has the potential to reduce welfare dependency and improve overall well-being for individuals with severe mental illness.