Healthcare use after interventions to improve well-being

Editor's Note

This Australian study finds an association between psychosocial interventions to improve well-being and reduced healthcare use.

A total of 41 studies and 7,842 participants were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis.

Among the findings:

• An improvement in healthcare use was associated with social support interventions, but not with loneliness interventions.
• There was a reduction in length of inpatient visits and number of emergency care visits after the interventions; however, there was an increase in outpatient care.
• The largest reductions in healthcare use were associated with interventions among caregivers and individuals with mental illnesses.

The findings may inform the design and implementation of future psychosocial interventions by  providing information on the variables associated with intervention success, the researchers say.