Caution must therefore be exercised in interpreting results , but the case for investment in parenting and health visitor-related programmes appears most strong , especially when impacts beyond the health sector are taken into account .
In the workplace an economic return on investment in a number of comprehensive workplace health promotion programmes and stress management projects ( largely in the USA ) was reported , while group-based exercise and psychosocial interventions are of potential benefit to older people .
Cost-effectiveness of preventive occupational therapy for independent-living older adults.
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a 9-month preventive occupational therapy ( OT ) program in the Well-Elderly Study : a r and omized trial in independent-living older adults that found significant health , function , and quality of life benefits attributable to preventive OT . DESIGN A r and omized trial . SETTING Two government-subsidized apartment complexes . PARTICIPANTS One hundred sixty-three culturally diverse volunteers aged 60 and older . INTERVENTION An OT group , a social activity group ( active control ) , and a nontreatment group ( passive control ) . MEASUREMENTS Use of healthcare services was determined by telephone interview during and after the treatment phase . A conversion algorithm was applied to the R AND 36-item Short Form Health Survey to derive a preference-based health-related quality of life index , quality -adjusted life years ( QALYs ) , and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for preventive OT relative to the combined control group . RESULTS Costs for the 9-month OT program averaged $ 548 per subject . Postintervention healthcare costs were lower for the OT group ( $ 967 ) than for the active control group ( $ 1,726 ) , the passive control group ( $ 3,334 ) , or a combination of the control groups ( $ 2,593 ) . The quality of life index showed a 4.5 % QALY differential ( OT vs combined control ) , P < .001 . The cost per QALY estimates for the OT group was $ 10,666 ( 95 % confidence interval = $ 6,747-$25,430 ) . For the passive and active control groups , the corresponding costs per QALY were $ 13,784 and $ 7,820 , respectively . CONCLUSION In this study , preventive OT demonstrated cost-effectiveness in conjunction with a trend toward decreased medical expenditures
Caution must therefore be exercised in interpreting results , but the case for investment in parenting and health visitor-related programmes appears most strong , especially when impacts beyond the health sector are taken into account .
In the workplace an economic return on investment in a number of comprehensive workplace health promotion programmes and stress management projects ( largely in the USA ) was reported , while group-based exercise and psychosocial interventions are of potential benefit to older people .