Cost-effectiveness of interventions for depressed Latinos

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. Quality improvement facilitating psychotherapy (QI-Therapy) was highly cost-effective for Latino patients, owing to both very positive outcomes and very modest costs. The estimated costs per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) relative to usual care were well below those of many accepted medical interventions. In contrast, Quality improvement facilitating medication management (QI-Meds) did not improve depression burden or quality of life for Latino patients, and was therefore not cost-effective for this group. Among white patients, QI-Meds and QI-Therapy had comparable effects on health care costs, depression burden and quality of life, with the relative cost-effectiveness in the range of other accepted medical interventions.