Economic evaluations of eHealth interventions targeting mental health problems in the workplace: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: Work-related mental health problems impose significant economic and personal burdens. eHealth interventions may offer low-cost, practical solutions, but guidance on their cost-effectiveness in workplace mental health is limited. Objective: The objective of this study was to systematically review economic evaluations of workplace eHealth interventions for mental health, offering insights into methodologies and cost-effectiveness outcomes. Methods: Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, searches were conducted in Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Cochrane library, PsycInfo and EconLit databases in May 2022, selecting peer-reviewed papers that performed economic evaluations on workplace eHealth interventions for adult mental health. Quality was assessed using the Drummond checklist.Results: From 3213 references, eight met the inclusion criteria. These studies varied in economic perspective, types of economic analysis type, primary outcome measures, intervention focus (e.g. stress, alcohol, insomnia & return-to-work) and direct non-medical costs. Five eHealth interventions were found to be cost-effective and/or have a positive return on investment, with seven studies rated as high quality according to the Drummond checklist. Conclusions: The study outcomes unveiled the potential cost-effectiveness of eHealth interventions targeting mental health issues, particularly these focusing on workplace stress. However, generalization is challenging due to variations in the methodologies across studies.