Background:
The treatment of patients with schizophrenia consumes a considerable proportion of health service budgets. Despite this, there have been few attempts to prospectively analyze the costs associated with schizophrenia and the relationship of these to clinical outcomes.
Methods:
Direct health care costs were prospectively studied in a cohort of347 patients with schizophrenia in Dandenong, Australia, over 3 years. Indirect costs were estimated from patient's self-reported information.
Results:
The average annual societal cost was A$32 160 per participant in the first year of the study, A$27 190 in the second year and A$29 181 in the third year. Indirect costs accounted for 46% of the total costs in the first year, 52% of the total costs in the second year and 50% of the total costs in the third year. The most expensive component of treatment was in-patient hospital care, which accounted for 42%, 34% and 36% of the total costs in the first, second and third years, respectively.
Conclusions:
Considerable resources are required for the provision of treatment for patients with schizophrenia. However, this expenditure is accompanied by an improvement in clinical outcomes and reported quality of life. The distribution of health care costs is highly skewed, with a relatively small proportion of patients (39%) consuming the majority of resources (80%). An expansion of resources dedicated to supporting a return to employment for this patient group is likely to have substantial benefits in reducing the overall economic and personal impact of this disorder.
