Dennis Wienand has been named MUW researcher of the month for the in “The Lancet Psychiatry” (IF 24.8) published study “Non-mental health inpatient and emergency care hospital costs associated with four mental disorders in Europe: a modelling study”. This study was conducted as part of Dennis Wienand’s doctoral research under the supervision of Judit Simon, and in collaboration with Guy Goodwin from the University of Oxford.
Further information on this study and about the work of Dennis Wienand at the Department of Health Economics, including a short video, may be found here.
There is limited evidence for mental health interventions to reduce adverse mental health impacts of climatic impact drivers and much of the implementation work relies on other contexts’ concluded a new umbrella review by the Global Evidence on Planetary Mental Health Study Group with Judit Simon, Department of Health Economics, as co-author.
Results of an international randomized clinical trial evaluating the PETRUSHKA tool, a web app for personalizing antidepressant treatment, has been published in JAMA. Judit Simon, Professor of Health Economics at the Medical University of Vienna, is co-investigator of the study, which found that patients who received a personalized antidepressant selected using the PETRUSHKA tool were less likely to discontinue their treatment due to any reason. For further details, see the original publication and a linked Editorial
We are pleased that several members of our department contributed to the ninth ATHEA Conference for Health Economics, which took place in Vienna from 26th to 27th February 2026.
Our researchers presented their latest work through oral presentations, highlight the breadth and impact of our department’s engagement with current methodological and empirical health economic challenges.
- Diexer S. A primary data collection approach to mental health reference unit cost development in Austria: Findings and learnings from the STREAMLINE project. 9th ATHEA conference 2026. Equality in Times of Economic Slowdown. 2026 Feb 26-27; Vienna (oral)
- Mayer S. Bridging the wait gap: The role of private out-of-pocket funding in accelerating MRI access in Austria. 9th ATHEA conference 2026. Equality in Times of Economic Slowdown. 2026 Feb 26-27; Vienna (oral)
- Simon J. Applying a multi-criteria decision analysis framework for the optimization of a complex parenting intervention in Southeast Europe: A cost-consequences analysis of the FLOURISH factorial trial. 9th ATHEA conference 2026. Equality in Times of Economic Slowdown. 2026 Feb 26-27; Vienna (oral)
- Łaszewska A. Understanding preferences for telemedicine among Long Covid patients in Austria. 9th ATHEA conference 2026. Equality in Times of Economic Slowdown. 2026 Feb 26-27; Vienna (oral)
The team at the Department of Health Economics in collaboration with AIHTA, GÖG and the University of Loyola have completed the first comprehensive multisectoral mental health ecosystem mapping of Vienna.
The STREAMLINE project started in 2023 financed by the WWTF with the aim to improve future mental healthcare provision and financing in Vienna. It focused on collating and analysing evidence on the provision, costs and utilization of mental health-related services and their regional distributions. On the 23 January 2026, final project results were released as part of a stakeholder symposium including scientific presentations and a reflective expert panel discussion, and in the form of a series of policy-briefs.
For further details about the results, see:
"Psychische Gesundheitsdienstleistungen in Wien: Erste umfassende Analyse zu Angebot, Nutzung und Kosten"
For echo in the press, see:
ORF2 / Wien heute:
"Psychische Versorgung schlecht verteilt"
"Psychologische Versorgung in Wien ungleich verteilt"
Der Standard:
"Psychische Hilfe: Simmering 50-mal schlechter versorgt als Innere Stadt"
Kurier:
"Bezirkskluft bei Psychotherapie-Angeboten"
gesund.at:
Psychische Gesundheitsdienstleistungen in Wien
myscience.org:
Mental health care in Vienna
scienceapa.at:
Psychische Gesundheitsdienstleistungen in Wien: Erste umfassende Analyse zu Angebot, Nutzung und Kosten
The study examined associations between health literacy and reproductive health knowledge and behaviour among women of reproductive age in Vienna, Austria. The findings showed a statistically significant association between inadequate health literacy and lower levels of reproductive health knowledge and behaviour, indicating that women with higher health literacy tend to have better knowledge and behaviour concerning reproductive health. In addition, better reproductive health knowledge and behaviour were associated with older age. Religious affiliation emerged as a significant factor related to reproductive health knowledge and behaviour, while university education was identified as the strongest predictor of health literacy.
Link to the publication.