Effectiveness and efficiency for ambulatory care assisted by mobile technological devices

Abstract

In our paper, we evaluate the impact of a mobile assistive technology (MAT) that may increase the self-sufficiency and autarky of end users and informal caregivers in aspects of costs of care and quality of life. The focused mobile assistive system aims at reducing the patient's probability to need inpatient care. We use a Markov model that encompasses stage depended costs for dementia. Stages represent care arrangements that may be directly influenced by the mobile device and its corresponding service structure. A random virtual sample of about 300.000 people aged 65 and more was included. A continuous incidence of 3.2 % is assumed. We compute the cumulative cost-effectiveness after eight years which is a proxy for the maximum period of living with dementia and predict a surplus of 1,892 additional life years gained in outpatient setting using the mobile technology advice. Moreover, there is a cumulative cost advantage of about 69 million. The economic impact of an assistive technology presumes a high level of acceptance but the research has to go on to elaborate different countervailing effects.