Cognitive stimulation therapy for people with dementia: cost-effectiveness analysis.
BACKGROUND
Psychological therapy groups for people with dementia are widely used, but their cost-effectiveness has not been explored.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the cost-effectiveness of an evidence-based cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) programme for people with dementia as part of a randomised controlled trial.


METHODS
A total of 91 people with dementia, living in care homes or the community, received a CST group intervention twice weekly for 8 weeks; 70 participants with dementia received treatment as usual. Service use was recorded 8 weeks before and during the 8-week intervention and costs were calculated. A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted with cognition as the primary outcome, and quality of life as the secondary outcome. Cost-effectiveness acceptability curves were plotted.


RESULTS
Cognitive stimulation therapy has benefits for cognition and quality of life in dementia, and costs were not different between the groups. Under reasonable assumptions, there is a high probability that CST is more cost-effective than treatment as usual, with regard to both outcome measures.


CONCLUSIONS
Cognitive stimulation therapy for people with dementia has effectiveness advantages over, and may be more cost-effective than, treatment as usual.
Knapp
Martin
M
Personal Social Services Research Unit, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE. m.knapp@lse.ac.uk
Thorgrimsen
Lene
L
Patel
Anita
A
Spector
Aimee
A
Hallam
Angela
A
Woods
Bob
B
Orrell
Martin
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003704:Dementia / Q000191:economics / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome