Cognitive Health Economics in Dementia Care
Summary
Cognitive health economics in dementia care examines how resources are allocated and utilised to maintain or improve cognitive function in individuals living with dementia. It encompasses both direct costs, such as medical consultations, diagnostics and long-term care provision, and indirect costs, including informal caregiving time and lost productivity. This field integrates health-economic modelling with clinical and social care perspectives to inform policy decisions, optimise care pathways and ensure equitable access to services. By measuring the economic impact of interventions, preventive strategies and support for caregivers, cognitive health economics seeks to balance cost containment with quality-adjusted outcomes, address the growing global burden of dementia and guide the sustainable financing of innovation in diagnostics, therapies and community support.
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Cognitive Health Economics in Dementia Care publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in cognitive health economics in dementia care across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Cognitive health economics: The study of resource allocation, costs and outcomes related to the maintenance or improvement of cognitive function in dementia care.
Resource utilisation: The measurement of healthcare service consumption, including outpatient visits, hospital admissions and specialist referrals.
Formal care: Paid care services provided by healthcare professionals or institutions, such as medical treatment and residential long-term care.
Informal care: Unpaid care provided by family members or friends, often valued in economic analyses by replacement-cost or forgone-wage methods.
Comorbidity index: A quantitative tool (for example, the Charlson Comorbidity Index) that assesses the burden of coexisting medical conditions alongside a primary diagnosis.
Projected care costs: Estimated future expenditures for healthcare and social support, derived from demographic trends and economic modelling.
References
- Health care resource utilisation in primary care prior to and after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease: a retrospective, matched case–control study in the United Kingdom. BMC Geriatrics (2014).
- Assessing the economic burden of Alzheimer’s disease patients first diagnosed by specialists. BMC Geriatrics (2016).
- Cost of care for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in the United States: 2016 to 2060. npj Aging (2024).
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