Cost-effectiveness of long-term care services in South Korea

This study examines the economic validity of home health-care and nursing-home care with the aim of providing guidelines for efficient use of limited health-care resources. Data collection took place over 8 months in 2001 (from May to December) at six institutions: two home health-care service providers and four nursing homes. A total of 99 stroke patients (49 from home health-care service providers and 50 from nursing homes) participated in the study. The findings indicate that patients with a lower level of physical/cognitive dependency (activities of daily living (ADL) ≥ 9.3, cognitive performance scale (CPS) ≥ 3.3) tend to benefit more from home health-care service, while those with a high dependency level (ADL < 9.3, CPS < 3.3) receive more suitable care at nursing homes. The study confirms that the economic value of health-care providers varies with the level of physical/cognitive function of the patients. That is, higher efficiency is achieved when those with a lower and higher levels of dependency are provided with home health-care services and nursing-home care, respectively. When assigning long-term care services, it is suggested that the level of physical/cognitive function of patients should be taken into consideration.