The cost-effectiveness of a family meetings intervention to prevent depression and anxiety in family caregivers of patients with dementia: a randomized trial

Table 1 Prices used in the economic evaluation and utilization of health care resources and work absenteeism for caregivers and patients with complete cost data during the 12-month follow-up period

Cost category	Unit	Unit cost	Caregivers	Patients
		(€, 2009)	(n = 125)	(n = 118)
			Mean (SD)	Mean (SD)
Ambulatory care (except home care)
General practitioner	Contact	28^a	5.0 (4.3)	4.9 (5.4)
Paramedical therapist	Contact	Variable^b	7.3 (14.3)	10.2 (19.9)
Psychologist or psychotherapist	Contact	80 or 77	0.5 (2.7)	0.2 (0.7)
Social worker	Contact	65	0.2 (1.0)	0.4 (2.0)
Social psychiatric nurse	Contact	45	1.7 (3.3)	1.8 (3.6)
Psychiatrist	Contact	171	0.03 (0.4)	0.2 (0.7)
Other counsellor^c	Contact	Variable	0.3 (1.5)	n/a
Peer support group counselling	Session	68	1.8 (3.8)	0.1 (0.7)
Outpatient appointment	Contact	72	2.6 (3.0)	3.9 (3.8)
Home care and other support
Domestic home help	Hour	24	10.6 (17.5)	see caregiver
Professional home care	Hour	44	0.5 (4.2)	5.4 (15.8)
Respite care	Hour	12.50	1.6 (8.3)	n/a
Meal supply at home	Meal	6	2.7 (20.6)	3.4 (22.8)
Day treatment and admissions
Day treatment	Day	251	1.6 (8.2)	48.3 (67.2)
Admission, elderly home	Day	90	0.2 (2.3)	1.1 (7.6)
Admission, nursing home	Day	238	0.4 (3.8)	15.2 (46.1)
Admission, academic hospital	Day	575	0.2 (2.0)	0.3 (1.8)
Admission, non-academic hospital	Day	435	0.4 (1.9)	1.0 (5.5)
Admission, intensive care unit	Day	2183	0.02 (0.2)	none
Absenteeism
Paid labour	Day	Friction costs^d	2.2 (11.7)	n/a
Unpaid labour	Hour	12.50	4.7 (20.7)	n/a
Informal care	Hour	12.50	see patient	3760.3 (3273.0)

^aPrices of GP telephone contacts and GP home visits involved €14 and €43, respectively.
^bParamedical therapists included: physiotherapist, manual therapist, Cesar exercise therapists, alternative therapists. For each profession, the appropriate guideline price was used and if not available, the mean of the price according to five therapists was used.
^cOther counsellors included counselling sessions with a caregiver consultant, a coordinator of meeting centres for persons with dementia and their caregivers or a practice nurse. Prices were according to the professional organization.
^dCosts for paid labour were calculated on the basis of a mean income of the Dutch population according to age and sex.

ISSN: 1745-6215