<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec id="j_sjph-2022-0011_s_006">
<h3>Introduction</h3>
<p>Dementias present a global health challenge and give rise to significant economic costs. This study aims to evaluate the economic impact of one-year outpatient healthcare, nursing home, and formal and informal home help costs for all patients referred to the Centre for Cognitive Impairments at the Department of Neurology, Ljubljana University Medical Centre, Slovenia.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2022-0011_s_007">
<h3>Methods</h3>
<p>Data was acquired retrospectively from physicians’ records and the costs for 2015 were calculated. Total costs were estimated by means of a bottom-up calculation of outpatient visits, diagnostic examinations and anti-dementia medication. In a subgroup of 120 patients with dementia, the Resource Utilization in Dementia questionnaire was used to estimate formal and informal care costs.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2022-0011_s_008">
<h3>Results</h3>
<p>A total of 720 patients visited the memory clinic in 2015. Diagnosis at first visit was subjective cognitive or mild cognitive impairment (SCI/ MCI) for 322 patients, dementia for 258 patients, and psychiatric or other disorders for 140 patients. The average annual cost per patient was EUR 578. It was highest for patients with dementia (EUR 751), EUR 550 for patients with SCI/MCI, and lowest for patients with psychiatric and other disorders (EUR 324). Monthly informal and social care costs were between EUR 1,037 and EUR 3,369, depending on the methodology used.</p></sec>
<sec id="j_sjph-2022-0011_s_009">
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>The cost of diagnosing a cognitive disorder depends on how extensive the diagnosis is. With an estimated prevalence of 34,137 persons with dementia in Slovenia, basic diagnostic investigations incur costs of approximately EUR 7 million. Direct medical costs represent a smaller portion of total dementia costs; this is because annual costs for formal and informal home help are estimated at EUR 265 million and nursing home placements at EUR 105 million.</p>
</sec>
</abstract>

Introduction
Dementias present a global health challenge and give rise to significant economic costs. This study aims to evaluate the economic impact of one-year outpatient healthcare, nursing home, and formal and informal home help costs for all patients referred to the Centre for Cognitive Impairments at the Department of Neurology, Ljubljana University Medical Centre, Slovenia.


Methods
Data was acquired retrospectively from physicians’ records and the costs for 2015 were calculated. Total costs were estimated by means of a bottom-up calculation of outpatient visits, diagnostic examinations and anti-dementia medication. In a subgroup of 120 patients with dementia, the Resource Utilization in Dementia questionnaire was used to estimate formal and informal care costs.

Results
A total of 720 patients visited the memory clinic in 2015. Diagnosis at first visit was subjective cognitive or mild cognitive impairment (SCI/ MCI) for 322 patients, dementia for 258 patients, and psychiatric or other disorders for 140 patients. The average annual cost per patient was EUR 578. It was highest for patients with dementia (EUR 751), EUR 550 for patients with SCI/MCI, and lowest for patients with psychiatric and other disorders (EUR 324). Monthly informal and social care costs were between EUR 1,037 and EUR 3,369, depending on the methodology used.

Conclusion
The cost of diagnosing a cognitive disorder depends on how extensive the diagnosis is. With an estimated prevalence of 34,137 persons with dementia in Slovenia, basic diagnostic investigations incur costs of approximately EUR 7 million. Direct medical costs represent a smaller portion of total dementia costs; this is because annual costs for formal and informal home help are estimated at EUR 265 million and nursing home placements at EUR 105 million.

Cost of diagnosing and treating cognitive complaints: One-year cost-evaluation study in a patient cohort from a Slovenian memory clinic

Slovenian Journal of Public Health

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Stroški diagnosticiranja in zdravljenja demence: 1-letna ocena stroškov obravnave v Slovenskem centru za kognitivne motnje

Introduction
Dementias present a global health challenge and give rise to significant economic costs. This study aims to evaluate the economic impact of...

Cost of diagnosing and treating cognitive complaints: One-year cost-evaluation study in a patient cohort from a Slovenian memory clinic

Article Category: Original scientific article

Published Online: Mar 21, 2022

Page range: 76 - 84

Received: Jul 02, 2021

Accepted: Dec 10, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2022-0011

Keywords
cognitive impairments, dementia, costs of illness

© 2022 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Cost of diagnosing and treating cognitive complaints: One-year cost-evaluation study in a patient cohort from a Slovenian memory clinic

Article Category: Original scientific article

Published Online: Mar 21, 2022

Page range: 76 - 84

Received: Jul 02, 2021

Accepted: Dec 10, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjph-2022-0011

Keywordscognitive impairments, dementia, costs of illness

© 2022 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
cognitive impairments, dementia, costs of illness