The following is a summary of “Cost-effectiveness of an indicated blended care intervention in primary care compared to usual care in patients with moderate persistent somatic symptoms,” published in the August 2023 issue of the Psychosomatic Research by Toonders et al.

It is crucial to provide early, effective therapy for patients at high risk of developing chronic Persistent Somatic Symptoms (PSS) to enhance their quality of life and save societal expenses. This study compares the quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), subjective symptom impact, and physical and mental health status of patients with moderate PSS who received an integrated blended care intervention to those who received standard therapy. This economic evaluation included a prospective, multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial over 12 months in primary care. 

A total of 80 people participated in the intervention, while the other 80 received standard care. Independent regression analyses were conducted to determine the relative costs and benefits of the various interventions. Multiple imputation was used to fill in the gaps of the missing data. Uncertainty was estimated using bootstrapping methods. Total societal costs were not much different. The intervention group had increased expenses for intervention, primary and secondary healthcare, and absence. The ICER for QALYs showed that compared to standard care, the intervention was less expensive overall and less effective. The ICER showed that the intervention group was less costly and more effective regarding subjective symptom impact and physical health. 

The intervention was generally more expensive and less beneficial for mental health. Cost-effectiveness analysis showed that integrated blended primary care was less cost-effective than standard care. The average expenses are lower, and the efficacy is higher when looking at relevant but specialized outcome measures (subjective symptom impact and physical health) for this demographic.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022399923002441