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. 2018 Jan 4;13(1):e0190554.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190554. eCollection 2018.

Mobile and traditional cognitive behavioral therapy programs for generalized anxiety disorder: A cost-effectiveness analysis

Shefali Kumar  1 , Megan Jones Bell  2 , Jessie L Juusola  1
Affiliations

Mobile and traditional cognitive behavioral therapy programs for generalized anxiety disorder: A cost-effectiveness analysis

Shefali Kumar et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a debilitating mental health illness that affects approximately 3.1% of U.S. adults and can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). With the emergence of digital health technologies, mobile CBT may be a cost-effective way to deliver care. We developed an analysis framework to quantify the cost-effectiveness of internet-based CBT for individuals with GAD. As a case study, we examined the potential value of a new mobile-delivered CBT program for GAD.

Methods: We developed a Markov model of GAD health states combined with a detailed economic analysis for a cohort of adults with GAD in the U.S. In our case study, we used pilot program efficacy data to evaluate a mobile CBT program as either prevention or treatment only and compared the strategies to traditional CBT and no CBT. Traditional CBT efficacy was estimated from clinical trial results. We calculated discounted incremental costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) over the cohort lifetime.

Case study results: In the base case, for a cohort of 100,000 persons with GAD, we found that mobile CBT is cost-saving. It leads to a gain of 34,108 QALYs and 81,492 QALYs and a cost reduction of $2.23 billion and $4.54 billion when compared to traditional CBT and no CBT respectively. Results were insensitive to most model inputs and mobile CBT remained cost-saving in almost all scenarios.

Limitations: The case study was conducted for illustrative purposes and used mobile CBT efficacy data from a small pilot program; the analysis should be re-conducted once robust efficacy data is available. The model was limited in its ability to measure the effectiveness of CBT in combination with pharmacotherapy.

Conclusions: Mobile CBT may lead to improved health outcomes at lower costs than traditional CBT or no intervention and may be effective as either prevention or treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: Dr. Jessie Juusola and Ms. Shefali Kumar are employees of Evidation Health. At the time of this analysis, Dr. Megan Jones Bell was an employee of Lantern. This study was funded by Thrive Network, Inc. (DBA, Lantern). This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Markov model structure.
This model includes 7 health states where persons can move between states at 3-month intervals. In the base case, all persons begin in the “mild anxiety,” “moderate anxiety” or “severe anxiety” states. In the prevention only case, all persons begin in the “mild anxiety” state. In the treatment only case, all persons begin in the “moderate anxiety” or “severe anxiety” state. Every cycle, persons could transition to a healthier GAD state, progress to a more severe GAD state (e.g., relapse), remain in the same state, or die.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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