Assessing the costs, benefits, cost-effectiveness, and cost-benefit of psychological assessment: we should, we can, and here's how.
To the extent that assessment improves the effectiveness of treatment, prevention, or other services, it can be said to be effective. If an assessment is as effective as alternatives for improving treatment and less costly, it can be said to be cost-effective. If that improvement in the effectiveness of the service is monetary or monetizable, the assessment can be judged beneficial. And, if the sum of monetary and monetizable benefits of assessment exceeds the sum of the costs of treatment, the assessment can be said to be cost-beneficial. An overview of cost-related issues is followed by practical strategies that researchers and administrators can use to measure incremental costs, incremental effectiveness, and incremental benefits of adding psychological assessments to other psychological interventions.
Yates
Brian T
BT
Department of Psychology, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016-8062, USA. byates@american.edu
Taub
Jennifer
J
D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011581:Psychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011586:Psychology, Clinical / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results