Economic evaluations of electronic health interventions for people with age‐related cognitive impairment and their caregivers: A systematic review

Abstract

AbstractObjectsDementia has physical, social and economic impacts, causing considerable distress for people with age‐related cognitive impairment (PWACI) and their caregivers. Electronic health (e‐health) interventions can provide convenient education to improve the coping competence of caregivers and have become an important approach to supporting them. Understanding the economic evidence of e‐health interventions will facilitate the decision making and implementation of integrating e‐health into routine health services. The present review aimed to appraise economic evidence related to e‐health interventions for PWACI and their caregivers.MethodsWe systematically searched multiple cross‐disciplinary databases from inception to February 28, 2023. Two reviewers independently selected the trials, assessed the quality, and checked the data. A descriptive‐analytical narrative method was used to analyze the review findings.ResultsThirteen studies were analyzed, including 12 randomized controlled trials and one quasi‐experimental study. All included studies were conducted in developed countries. The included studies reported limited economic information. There were six cost‐effectiveness analysis, five cost‐consequence analysis and one partial economic evaluation. The included studies were heterogeneous, and varied in quality. The results demonstrated that e‐health multicomponent interventions can reduce the cost of health service utilization in short term (10–104 weeks).ConclusionsFew studies calculated the incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio to evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of e‐health interventions. Preliminary evidence indicates that e‐health interventions can reduce the cost of health service utilization in the short term, but the cost‐effectiveness of e‐health interventions hasn't been identified. More robust evidence is needed to clarify the value of e‐health interventions for PWACI and their caregivers.