COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF TREATMENT OF EPILEPCY IN THE HEALTH SYSTEM OF KURDESTAN PROVINCE,IRAN

Abstract

Although mental health in Iran has been accepted as one of the elements of Primary Health Care (PHC), comparing to other elements, its coverage is the least. The purpose of this research was to determine the cost-benefit of the integrating of epilepsy disease treatment in PHC in Kurdestan province. In one case-control study, 42848 subjects under the coverage of mental health in PHC (case group) were compared with 42444 subjects who were not covered by mental health services (control group). Ninety two epileptic patients in the former group and 80 epileptic patients in the latter group were compared in terms of age, sex, occupation, annual inpatient-day stay, and annual outpatient contacts. These patients were interviewed, and then the collected data analysed through SPSS package. The results of evaluating the above-mentioned variables from 5th March 1993 to 19th March 1994 are as follows: The mean of outpatient contacts in case group was greater than that of the control group (P=0.000). The mean of annual cost per patient in case group was smaller than that of the control group (P=0.000). The mean of annual benefit per patient in case group was greater than that of the control group. The variables sex, age, inpatient-day stay, was not statistically significant. The research findings emphasized the economically useful aspect of the treatment of those epileptic patients who were under the coverage of mental health care in PHC. These findings also emphasized the cost-effectiveness of treatment in the strategy of mental health as the element of PHC.