Towards integrated care for disorders of the brain in Europe Vinciane Quoidbach1, Frederic Destrebecq1 & Giovanni Esposito1 European Brain Council

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Towards integrated care for disorders of the brain in Europe Vinciane Quoidbach1, Frederic Destrebecq1 & Giovanni Esposito1 European Brain Council Vinciane Quoidbach1*, Frederic Destrebecq1 and Giovanni Esposito1 1 European Brain Council, Belgium The 2015 Global Burden of Disease study estimates that about a third of the population worldwide is affected by mental or neurological disorders across their lifespans [1]. This high burden [2,3] may be surprising as there is a general lack of awareness on the pervasiveness of disorders of the brain. Global data, but particularly those from European studies, indicate that these disorders are a major public health problem: disorders of the brain rank among the leading causes of ill-health and disability and account for 35% of Europe’s total disease burden with a yearly cost of 800 billion euros, of which 60% are related to direct health care and non-medical costs [4,5]. The burden is growing due to the epidemiological transition from acute to chronic diseases and the increase in life expectancy, but also because of several socioeconomic, environmental and behavioural health determinants. Needs for basic and clinical research, the provision of medicines and medical devices, and adequate health-care systems and services are growing but are increasingly unmet although effective interventions exist. Discussions on health care focus too often on the increase of health-care cost rather than on the benefits of better health. Therefore, emphasizing on the need for more value-based and patient-centred care, and for the scaling-up of an integrated care model for mental and neurological disorders is important. An integrated care model encompasses the whole care process, from prodromal, early diagnosis to disease management and patient empowerment [6]. In the continuity of the European Brain Council (EBC) published two-year research project findings on the value of treatment (VoT) for brain disorders (June 2017) [7], a second round of the VoT Study has now been started on new therapeutic areas covering a range of rare neurological diseases as well as mental disorders. The study’s research framework will include the testing of an integrated model and the development of a series of qualitative and quantitative benchmarks to identify treatment gaps and causal factors along the continuum of care in a patient care pathway analysis. The study will also estimate the socioeconomic impact and health gains from best practice health-care interventions with an economic evaluation. Case studies will be analysed in collaboration with hundreds of experts from the European Brain Council in line with the research framework, applying empirical evidence from different European countries.