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Kosten en financiële baten van videocommunicatie in de zorg thuis: een systematisch review.

Mistiaen, P., Peeters, J., Francke, A. Kosten en financiële baten van videocommunicatie in de zorg thuis: een systematisch review. Verpleegkunde: 2011, 26(2), p. 19-28.
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AIM: To get insight into the balance between costs and financial benefits of video communication in home care. METHOD: In a systematic review four databases (PUBMED, EMBASE, COCHRANE LIBRARY, CINAHL) were searched for studies on video communication for people living at home. Studies were exclusively included when data about costs of video communication as well as financial benefits were presented. Inclusion took place in two steps; hereafter included studies were assessed on their methodological quality and then relevant data were extracted. The data synthesis was descriptive. All steps were performed by two researchers. RESULTS: Twenty articles (nine studies) were included. The studies were mainly conducted in the USA. The client populations varied between studies. The outcome variables and the methods, used for cost calculations and financial benefits, differed very much. The methodological quality was poor except for one study. Seven of these nine studies did not demonstrate significantly greater financial benefits than the costs of video communication. In five studies there was an intervention group and a control group. Two of these studies showed that the ratio of costs - financial benefits in the group who used video communication was greater than in the control group. In one of both studies, the ratio costs – financial benefits was statistically significant. DISCUSSION: Because of the weak conduction of the economic studies, no statements are possible about the relationship between costs and financial benefits of video communication in the home care. More and methodologically well conducted research is needed. CONCLUSION: There is (still) no evidence showing that implementation of video communication into the home care is a cost-effective intervention. (aut. ref.)