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# Prompt Mental Health Care in Norway likely cost-effective versus usual care over 3 years
- URL: https://www.coios.me/prompt-mental-health-care-in-norway-likely-cost-effective/
- Published: 2026-11-07T13:22:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-08T07:06:54.000Z
- Description: Prompt Mental Health Care cost €23,809 per QALY over 1 year and €6,376 over 3 years in a 738-person trial.
- Author: Daniel Ryan
- Tags: Data, models and systems, Value in health, Mental health, Norway, #peer-reviewed, #new, #item, #source-2026-11, #score-82

This study assessed the cost-utility of Prompt Mental Health Care (PMHC), Norway's version of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies. It included 738 adults with anxiety or mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms, randomised 70:30 to PMHC or treatment-as-usual. Registry data supplied healthcare costs, prescriptions, sick leave and work assessment allowances, and EQ-5D-5L measured utility. Over 1 year, PMHC gave 0.07 extra QALYs for €1,710 extra healthcare cost (ICER €23,809/QALY); the 3-year ICER was €6,376/QALY. Adding sick-leave and work assessment benefits gave 3-year incremental public-sector costs of -€296 (95% CI -€3,588 to €2,848). Usual-care utilities at 24 and 36 months were model-projected rather than measured, so the 3-year estimates rely on modelling.

*Why it is interesting: It links a talking-therapy programme to registry records of healthcare use and work benefits. Counting sick-leave and work allowances, its extra public-sector cost over 3 years was near zero, though uncertain.*

Source

[Value in Health, 2 November 2026](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2026.10.007?ref=coios.me)

Paper

Cost-Utility of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies compared with usual care in Norway: A Registry-Linked Randomised Trial

Authors

Smith ORF, Clark DM, Olsen JA, Layard R, Knapstad M

DOI

10.1016/j.jval.2026.10.007

Type

Peer-reviewed article

Design

Registry-linked randomised trial (n=738, 70:30 allocation), cost-utility over 1-, 2- and 3-year horizons, EQ-5D-5L with model-projected comparator utilities at 24 and 36 months

Verdict

New finding

Driver

[Value in health](https://www.coios.me/d-health-economics/)

Driver

[Mental health](https://www.coios.me/d-mental-health/)

Free full text

[Free to read at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2026.10.007?ref=coios.me)

Abstract — the authors' own words, CC BY

Objectives

Prompt Mental Health Care (PMHC), Norway's adaptation of England's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies, provides cognitive behavioural therapy for adults with anxiety or mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms. We assessed cost-utility using registry-linked data. Methods

This evaluation included 738 participants from a randomised trial (70:30 allocation) of PMHC versus treatment-as-usual (TAU). Registry data provided healthcare costs, prescriptions, sick leave and work assessment allowances. EQ-5D-5L was assessed through 36 months in PMHC and 12 months in TAU; TAU utilities at 24 and 36 months were model-projected. Presenteeism was assessed with the Health and Work Performance Questionnaire. Cost-utility was estimated over 1-, 2-, and 3-year horizons from healthcare and public-sector perspectives. Results

Over 1 year, incremental QALYs were 0.07 (95% CI 0.05-0.10), with incremental healthcare costs of €1,710 (95% CI €1,557-€1,865), yielding an ICER of €23,809/QALY (95% CI €16,272-€38,321). Over 3 years, model-based estimates were 0.24 incremental QALYs (95% CI 0.14-0.35) and €1,551 in incremental healthcare costs (95% CI €1,266-€1,837), yielding an ICER of €6,376/QALY (95% CI €4,055-€11,533). At €30,000/QALY, cost-effectiveness probability was 84% over 1 year and ≥99% over 2 and 3 years. Incremental public-sector costs over 3 years were -€296 (95% CI -€3,588 to €2,848) when sick-leave benefits and work assessment allowances were included alongside healthcare costs. Presenteeism gains equalled 0.25 full-productivity years. Conclusions

PMHC delivered sustained health gains at modest additional healthcare cost and was likely cost-effective, with ICERs below Norwegian and UK NICE thresholds. Incremental public-sector costs were close to zero over 3 years, although uncertain.