Mental health economics, health service provision, and the practice of geriatric psychiatry.
OBJECTIVE
Economic evaluation is becoming more and more important as a means to assist policy makers in choosing the best intervention or treatment against a pervasive scarcity of resources relative to the demands. Health service provision and the practice of geriatric psychiatry are closely associated with costs and outcomes of health economics. Recently published literature raising unanswered questions in these areas is reviewed.


RESULTS
Some studies on the costs, outcomes, and cost-effectiveness of certain interventions or treatments (e.g. respite care, home-visiting community service) compared with usual strategies show that these are not optimal in terms of health economics. The updated guidance by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence that cholinesterase inhibitors should be used only for moderate severity dementia on the grounds of cost-effectiveness has been heavily criticized. Mental health provision for older people varies across 'developed' and 'developing' countries.


CONCLUSIONS
Updated findings provide better understanding of recent progress and issues on mental health economics, health service provision, and the practice of geriatric psychiatry. The application of health economics to the field of mental health should make complicated issues simple and explicit. Constructive criticisms and scientific debates will hasten the development of better tools or methodologies to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of current and new interventions or treatments.
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. suhgh@chol.com
Guk-Hee
GH
Suh
Changsu
C
Han
D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry / Q000191:economics*; D006076:Government; D006291:Health Policy; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000191:economics* / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States