Utilization and Cost-Benefit Analysis of a Novel Canadian Public-Private Partnership to Establish an Outpatient ECT Clinic

The Psychiatric Patient as a Health Resource Consumer: Costs Associated with Electroconvulsive Therapy

“…For those patients whose clinical condition would not allow for out-patient management before drug alternatives had been exhausted, ECT could be considered earlier than when it is currently indicated. In either case, the length of the hospital stay would be shortened ( Kramer, 1990 ; Chan et al, 2006 ).…”

“…Another way to reduce the duration of hospital stays would be to assess the performance of ambulatory ECT ( Kramer, 1990 ; Chan et al, 2006 ; Rodriguez-Jimenez, 2015a ) instead of the traditional custom of performing ECT in an in-patient manner for the entire duration of the corresponding cycle. Selected patients, such as those not requiring ongoing psychiatric care, could benefit the obvious advantages of ambulatory treatment, such as staying at home with their relatives for as long as possible, which, in turn, could significantly contribute to improving their clinical condition and perhaps would also improve the patients’ perception of and satisfaction with their psychiatric treatment.…”

How Can We Improve Patient Satisfaction As a Consumer of Public Health Services? The Case of Psychiatric Patients Undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy

“…However, there is a real possibility to perform ECT in an outpatient way. These programs consist of admitting the patients to the hospital only for the duration of each ECT session, so that they remain at home for the duration of the prescribed ECT cycle (Kramer, 1990 ; Chan et al, 2006 ; Rodriguez-Jimenez, 2015 ). Of course, ECT outpatient programs should not be applicable for all psychiatric patients, but only to those patients meeting specific criteria, such as those that do not require continued psychiatric care and have good support from their relatives.…”