Health Services Use and Costs in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Germany: Results from a Survey in ASD Outpatient Clinics
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are associated with high services use, but European data on costs are scarce. Utilisation and annual costs of 385 individuals with ASD (aged 4–67 years; 18.2% females; 37.4% IQ < 85) from German outpatient clinics were assessed. Average annual costs per person were 3287 EUR, with psychiatric inpatient care (19.8%), pharmacotherapy (11.1%), and occupational therapy (11.1%) being the largest cost components. Females incurred higher costs than males (4864 EUR vs. 2936 EUR). In a regression model, female sex (Cost Ratio: 1.65), lower IQ (1.90), and Asperger syndrome (1.54) were associated with higher costs. In conclusion, ASD-related health costs are comparable to those of schizophrenia, thus underlining its public health relevance. Higher costs in females demand further research.
Details
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 540-552 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of autism and developmental disorders |
Volume | 2022 |
Issue number | 52(2) |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2022 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
PubMed | 33728496 |
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Keywords
Sustainable Development Goals
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- Adolescents, Adults, Children, Costs, Germany, Health services