Long-term cost-effectiveness of group unified protocol in the spanish public mental health system

Peris-Baquero, Ó. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Moreno, J. D. ; Osma, Jorge (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: The limited material and human resources available in the Spanish public mental health system, combined with the high prevalence of emotional disorders nowadays, makes it necessary to search for and implement other more cost-effective formats. The versatility of the Unified Protocol (UP) for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders allows its application in group format, which could be a cost-effective solution for the system. The aim of the present study is to investigate the cost-effectiveness of the UP applied in group format in specialized care units compared to the Treatment as usual (TAU) in the Spanish public mental health system over a 15-month time period. The sample of this study consisted of 188 patients, diagnosed with an emotional disorder, randomized to the UP condition in group format or to the TAU condition in individual format. The findings of this study have shown the same beneficial results for the participants with symptoms of anxiety and depression in both conditions and greater improvements in quality of life in the UP condition. Regarding cost-effectiveness results, at the 15-month follow-up, participants in the UP condition received a greater number of sessions, with a lower total economic cost compared to the TAU condition. Finally, reductions in the number of participants using antidepressants and a reduction in medication burden were found in the UP condition over time. The results of this study show that UP applied in a group format can be a cost-effectiveness solution for the Spanish public mental health system. Trial registration number: NCT03064477 (March 10, 2017).

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03365-8

Año: 2023

Publicado en: Current Psychology 42 (2023), 22462–22477
ISSN: 1046-1310

Factor impacto JCR: 2.5 (2023)

Categ. JCR: PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY rank: 58 / 219 = 0.265 (2023) - Q2 - T1

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 4.6 - Psychology (all) (Q2)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 1.001 - Psychology (miscellaneous) (Q1)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA-FEDER/S31-20D
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/ISCIII/PI17/00320

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Person.Eval.Trat.Psicoló. (Dpto. Psicología y Sociología)