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Healthcare and social services resource use and costs of self-harm patients

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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Patients who have self-harmed have increased morbidity across a wide range of health outcomes, but there is no evidence on their pattern of health and social service use, and its relationship with repetition of self-harm. Previous studies have shown that resource use and costs in the short-term hospital management of self-harm is associated with certain patient and service characteristics but their impact in the longer term has not been demonstrated. The aim of this study is to test the association between changing levels of costs of health and social care with further episodes of self-harm and to identify the clinical and social factors associated with this.

Method

This was a cost-analysis incidence study of a sample of patients from a cohort of self-harm patients who remained within one region over the course of their follow-up. Resource use was retrospectively observed from their first episode of self-harm (dating back on some occasions to the 1970’s), and costs applied. Panel data analyses were used to identify factors associated with observed costs over time.

Results

Patients with five or more episodes of self-harm had the highest levels of resource costs. Health and social care costs reduced with time from last episode of self-harm. In the year following the first episode of self-harm, psychiatric care accounted for 69% and psychotropic drug prescriptions 1% of the mean resource costs.

Conclusions

The management of self-harm occurs within a complex system of health and social care. Major self-harm repeaters place the greatest cost burden on the system. Better understanding of the impact of risk assessment models and consequent service provision on clinical outcome may help in the design of effective services for this patient group.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the help of Richard Chatwin for his design of the ACCESS data collection database, and all the medical records, primary care and NHS informatics staff who facilitated this research. Julia Sinclair was funded by the Medical Research Council as part of a Health Services Research Training Fellowship. Alastair Gray and Oliver Rivero-Arias were funded by HEFCE and Keith Hawton and Kate Saunders by Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mental Health Group, Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry, Royal South Hants Hospital, University of Southampton, Brintons Terrace, Southampton, SO14 0YG, UK

    Julia M. A. Sinclair

  2. Department of Public Health, Health Economics Research Centre, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Oxford, UK

    Alastair Gray & Oliver Rivero-Arias

  3. University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Kate E. A. Saunders

  4. Centre for Suicide Research, University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Keith Hawton

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  1. Julia M. A. Sinclair
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  2. Alastair Gray
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  3. Oliver Rivero-Arias
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  4. Kate E. A. Saunders
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  5. Keith Hawton
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Correspondence to Julia M. A. Sinclair.

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Sinclair, J.M.A., Gray, A., Rivero-Arias, O. et al. Healthcare and social services resource use and costs of self-harm patients. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 46, 263–271 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-010-0183-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-010-0183-5

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