Dementia prevention: The potential long‐term cost‐effectiveness of the FINGER prevention program

Introduction The aim of this study was to estimate the potential cost‐effectiveness of the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER) program. Methods A life‐time Markov model with societal perspective, simulating a cohort of people at risk of dementia reflecting usual care and the FINGER program. Results Costs were 1,653,275 and 1,635,346 SEK and quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs) were 8.636 and 8.679 for usual care and the FINGER program, respectively, resulting in savings of 16,928 SEK (2023 US$) and 0.043 QALY gains per person, supporting extended dominance for the FINGER program. A total of 1623 dementia cases were avoided with 0.17 fewer person‐years living with dementia. The sensitivity analysis confirmed the conclusions in most scenarios. Discussion The model provides support that programs like FINGER have the potential to be cost‐effective in preventing dementia. Results at the individual level are rather modest, but the societal benefits can be substantial because of the large potential target population.