Psychological treatment for insomnia in the management of long-term hypnotic drug use: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial

This is a critical abstract of an economic evaluation that meets the criteria for inclusion on NHS EED. Each abstract contains a brief summary of the methods, the results and conclusions followed by a detailed critical assessment on the reliability of the study and the conclusions drawn. Cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) in a primary care setting can improve sleep quality for chronic insomniacs, as measured by all the indicators of sleep quality and reduced drug use. The authors concluded that the cost of that improvement, in terms of the cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained, was reasonable. They also pointed out that appropriate targeting of CBT would improve the outcomes since there was a high drop-out rate. The cost per QALY gained went down when withdrawals were not included.