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Clinical Trial
. 1999 Jan:174:56-62.
doi: 10.1192/bjp.174.1.56.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of a home-based social work intervention for children and adolescents who have deliberately poisoned themselves. Results of a randomised controlled trial

S Byford  1 , R Harrington, D Torgerson, M Kerfoot, E Dyer, V Harrington, A Woodham, J Gill, F McNiven
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Cost-effectiveness analysis of a home-based social work intervention for children and adolescents who have deliberately poisoned themselves. Results of a randomised controlled trial

S Byford et al. Br J Psychiatry. 1999 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Little evidence exists regarding the effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of alternative treatment services in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry.

Aims: To assess the cost-effectiveness of a home-based social work intervention for young people who have deliberately poisoned themselves.

Method: Children aged < or = 16 years, referred to child mental health teams with a diagnosis of deliberate self-poisoning were randomly allocated to either routine care (n = 77) or routine care plus the social work intervention (n = 85). Clinical and resource-use data were assessed over six months from the date of trial entry.

Results: No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of the main outcome measures or costs. In a sub-group of children without major depression, suicidal ideation was significantly lower in the intervention group at the six-month follow-up (P = 0.01), with no significant differences in cost.

Conclusions: A family-based social work intervention for children and adolescents who have deliberately poisoned themselves is as cost-effective as routine care alone.

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