Health Care Platform Interventions

Authors: Rahul Shidhaye, Crick Lund, Dan Chisholm

Citation:

Abstract:

Several cost-effectiveness studies from high as well as lower-income country settings to show that such studies are particularly needed are highlighted in this chapter, including prevention and treatment of childhood disorders, drug use disorders, community- based parenting programs, suicide prevention, and dementia care. The range of possible interventions varies with respect to their cost-effectiveness, but many mental health budgets are being used in the provision of the least cost-effective interventions, such as long-term inpatient treatment of severe mental disorders in mental hospitals, with little invested in more cost-effective strategies like community-based provision of adjuvant psychosocial treatment for severe mental disorders, and measures reducing access to or marketing of alcohol. Successful scaling up of mental health services involves putting together a range of human, physical, and other resource inputs to deliver interventions and services capable of improving mental health and related outcomes. Costing analysis indicates that significantly scaled-up delivery of a prioritized, evidence-based set of interventions may be realistically affordable in many countries.