The prevention of increased depression would no longer be episodic in this model, but part of a continuous care package. Secondary preventive measures such as this can be assessed as particularly cost-effective. Also, a hospital is suitable as a place for implementation of a new secondary prevention program like this, because we assume that patients there may be more open to offers of help and have an interest in changing their way of life.
The central measures and goals of the inCognita capability aim at depressed patients and early detection change in depression state.
We introduce a timely treatment measure to improve the patient quality of life and secondly integrate into existing health care structures and processes.
Benefits
We assume that the benefits these preventive measures for depression consequences arise in the short, medium and long term:
- Short-Term:
- reducing
- hospital days
- reducing days off work
- corresponding unemployment benefits
- maintaining
- delay in
- Medium Term:
- reduction in
- hospitalisation
- length of absenteeism
- corresponding unemployment benefits
- drug prescriptions,
- costs associated with social interventions and help
- impact on families and friends,
- informal care
- Long Term:
- reduction in
- hospitalisation
- length of absenteeism
- corresponding unemployment benefits
- drug prescriptions,
- costs associated with social interventions and help
- impact on families and friends,
- informal care
Depressed patients are often psychosocial which has a negative effect in the form of more severe disease courses, longer treatment times, reduced quality of life. The result is higher health care costs.
There is a desire to prevent psychosocial stress and its consequences by establishing a “Context-based Interventional Model for Depression” (CIMD) as part of a wider care network. In large hospitals, depressed patients with mental stresses and/or mental disorders could be identified early for intervention with CIMD and can then be treated in a coordinated and appropriate manner.
The quality of life should be improved for the patients. The objective is to improve system-wide capabilities, reduce costs and pave the way for a financial reimbursement model that will ensure Long-term provision.
Volv is working with some other startup companies to form a consortium to deliver this project.
Conclusion
There are societal pressures that require solutions such as this as the burden of diseases is increasing and the ability to perform continuous interventions becomes ever more difficult as people-based CBT resources are few.
There is an opportunity to produce a state-of-the-art capability that has relevance in Switzerland and across Europe and wider afield.
