Journal
JOURNAL OF TELEMEDICINE AND TELECARE
Volume 28, Issue 5, Pages 311-330Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
DOI: 10.1177/1357633X20938919
Keywords
Telepsychiatry; remote technology; mental health; cost; economic; cost-effectiveness; intervention
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This systematic review examined the cost reporting of telepsychiatry programs for mental healthcare. The results showed that the costs of these programs varied widely, with some being less expensive than in-person services and others being more expensive. Rigorous cost-effectiveness studies are needed to inform the implementation and sustainability of these programs in health systems.
Objective Telepsychiatry involves use of telecommunications technology to deliver psychiatric care and offers promise to reduce costs and increase access to mental health services. This systematic review examined cost reporting of telepsychiatry programmes for mental healthcare. Methods We systematically searched electronic databases for studies reporting costs, including economic evaluations such as cost-effectiveness analyses, or costs of developing telepsychiatry programmes for clinical care of mental disorders. Included studies enrolled participants with mental disorders and involved telepsychiatry for depression, anxiety disorders, serious mental illnesses including schizophrenia spectrum disorders and bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, dementia or epilepsy. Results Twenty-six unique studies met inclusion criteria (17,967 participants), with most targeting depression (n = 7; 27%), general mental disorders and screening (n = 7; 27%), child mental health (n = 4; 15%) and geriatric mental health (n = 4; 15%). Nearly all studies (n = 25; 96%) compared telepsychiatry programme costs with either standard in-person consultation or usual care, with 15 (60%) reporting that telepsychiatry programmes were less expensive, and 8 (32%) showing telepsychiatry programmes were more expensive. Three studies reported cost-effectiveness analyses, favouring telepsychiatry programmes, but at highly elevated cost-effectiveness thresholds. Few studies reported costs of developing or delivering telepsychiatry programmes. Conclusion Costs of telepsychiatry programmes varied widely, with substantial heterogeneity in how costs were defined and reported. Some programmes cost less than in-person services while others cost more. Therefore, rigorous cost-effectiveness studies following established standards in economic evaluation are needed to inform implementation and sustainability of these programmes in health systems.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available