Demonstrating the Cost Effectiveness of Individualised Occupational Therapy Interventions to Enable Transition from Institutional to Independent Living – A Longitudinal Case Study

Abstract

There is limited evidence for the cost and impact of occupational therapy (OT) interventions in transitioning from mental health institutions to independent living. A longitudinal case study was conducted in Ireland to evaluate the impact of OT in transitioning to independent living. Cost, resource utilization and quality of life data were collected for two participants using the Client Sociodemographic and Service Receipt Inventory, EQ-5D-5L and AQoL-8D. Subjective quality of life improved and use and cost of health services reduced, saving $218K over three years. These findings suggest occupational therapy may lead to sustainable benefits for individuals and mental health services.

Keywords:

• Occupational therapy
• independent living
• cost evaluation
• quality of life

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participants and service providers who engaged in and supported this research

Ethical approval

Ethical approval for this study was granted by the HSE Dublin North East Research Ethics Committee in 2014 and 2017.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research received a grant from Genio, a nonprofit specializing in social service transformation which was used for the specific purpose of funding the occupational therapy assistant post.