Cross-sectional evaluation of health resource use in patients with functional neurological disorders referred to a tertiary neuroscience centre

IntroductionFunctional neurological disorder (FND) is a common cause of referral to neurology services. FND has been shown to lead to significant healthcare resource use and is associated with significant disability, comorbidity and distress. This leads to substantial direct, indirect and intangible...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ neurology open 2024-05, Vol.6 (1), p.e000606-e000606
Main Authors: O'Mahony, Brian William, Nelson-Sice, Robert, Nielsen, Glenn, Hunter, Rachael, Cope, Sarah, Agarwal, Niruj, Edwards, Mark J, Yogarajah, Mahinda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Conversion disorder
Employment
functional neurological disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder
Health care expenditures
health economics
Hospital costs
Medical personnel
Mental depression
Neurological disorders
Neurology
Neurosciences
Original research
Patients
Population
Professionals
Quality of life
Questionnaires
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Summary:IntroductionFunctional neurological disorder (FND) is a common cause of referral to neurology services. FND has been shown to lead to significant healthcare resource use and is associated with significant disability, comorbidity and distress. This leads to substantial direct, indirect and intangible costs to the patient and society.MethodsWe recruited consecutive patients with FND referred to a tertiary FND specialist clinic. We assessed health and social care resource use in the 6 months preceding their consultation through a modified version of the Client Service Receipt Inventory in the form of a postal questionnaire. The total cost was estimated by combining the number and frequency of health resource use with standard national unit costs. We also assessed indirect costs such as informal care and loss of income.ResultsWe collected data on 118 subjects. Patients with comorbid anxiety or depression had higher costs in the preceding 6 months, as did patients who had a longer duration of FND symptoms. Indirect costs were higher than the already substantial direct costs and a large proportion of patients with FND were receiving government support.ConclusionThis study highlights the high cost of FND to both patients and health systems. Adequate reform of the patient pathway and reorganisation of services to make diagnoses and initiate treatment more quickly would likely reduce these costs.
ISSN:2632-6140
2632-6140
DOI:10.1136/bmjno-2023-000606