Costs and benefits of home care for the elderly versus residential care: a comparison using propensity scores.

A comparison of the costs of residential care and home care shows that the former is more expensive for society. However, elderly people seem to be happier in residential care. All stakeholders, except the state (and thus the taxpayer), benefit if elderly people enter residential care.

Cost-effectiveness of multidisciplinary treatment in sick-listed patients with upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders: a randomized, controlled trial with one-year follow-up.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a return-to-work outpatient multidisciplinary treatment programme for sick-listed workers with non-specific upper extremity musculoskeletal complaints.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial with a 1-year follow-up was carried out. Thirty-eight subjects were allocated to multidisciplinary treatment (intervention, n=23), or to usual care provided by occupational health services (n=15).