Short Term Economic Evaluation of the Digital Platform Support, Monitoring And Reminder Technology for Mild Dementia (SMART4MD) for People with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Their Informal Caregivers

BACKGROUND: A randomized controlled trial of the SMART4MD tablet application was conducted for persons with mild cognitive impairment (PwMCI) and their informal caregivers to improve or maintain quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to conduct economic evaluation of SMART4MD compared to standard care in Sweden from a healthcare provider perspective based on a 6-month follow-up period.

METHODS: Three hundred forty-five dyads were enrolled: 173 dyads in the intervention group and 172 in standard care. The primary outcome measures for PwMCI and informal caregivers were quality-adjusted life years (QALY). The results are presented as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, and confidence intervals are calculated using non-parametric bootstrap procedure.

RESULTS: For PwMCI, the mean difference in total costs between intervention and standard care was € 12 (95% CI: -2090 to 2115) (US$ = € 1.19) and the mean QALY change was -0.004 (95% CI: -0.009 to 0.002). For informal caregivers, the cost difference was - € 539 (95% CI: -2624 to 1545) and 0.003 (95% CI: -0.002 to 0.008) for QALY. The difference in cost and QALY for PwMCI and informal caregivers combined was -€ 527 (95% CI: -3621 to 2568) and -0.001 (95% CI: -0.008 to 0.006). Although generally insignificant differences, this indicates that SMART4MD, compared to standard care was: 1) more costly and less effective for PwMCI, 2) less costly and more effective for informal caregivers, and 3) less costly and less effective for PwMCI and informal caregivers combined.

CONCLUSION: The cost-effectiveness of SMART4MD over 6 months is inconclusive, although the intervention might be more beneficial for informal caregivers than PwMCI.