Primary Prevention of Child Mental Health Problems using Primary Health Care Professionals: Cost Comparisons

Abstract

The importance of an economic dimension in the planning, delivery and evaluation of care and support for children and families is widely recognised.We report a cost analysis of a primary prevention programme using primary health care professionals trained to promote the psychosocial adaptation of children from birth. The programme was established in five European centres. We estimated the cost of the intervention in training and supervision for each country, and measured the impact of the intervention on service use and cost two years after the birth of the index child. Total costs incurred by families at comparison sites where no such training was provided were also calculated, and were compared with total costs at intervention sites. Cost differences between countries were also explored. Differences in total costs between the Intervention and Comparison treatment groups were small and did not reach statistical significance. However, total costs varied substantially between countries. Training primary health care professionals in the primary prevention of child mental health problems is found to be inexpensive, and does not appear to affect total costs in the years immediately following the intervention. Given the outcome findings from the study (see other chapters in this special issue), the cost evaluation provides encouragement for the wider establishment and examination of this preventative intervention.

Keywords:

• primary prevention
• parent-helper relationship
• community needs
• policy making
• service use and cost