Cost-effectiveness analysis of a brief intervention delivered to problem drinkers presenting at an inner-city hospital emergency department
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) has gained widespread acceptance as an effective method for reducing problem drinking in at-risk populations. This study examines the cost and cost-effectiveness of an SBI pilot program delivered in an inner-city hospital emergency department (ED) to a traditionally underserved population. METHOD: A total of 1,036 subjects were screened for problem drinking during their visit to an ED. Eligible participants (N = 294) were randomly assigned to either a brief intervention group or a control group. As the result of attrition, a final sample of 194 (90 brief intervention; 104 control) participants remained at follow-up. The intervention consisted of a brief counseling session and a health information packet. The control group received only the packet. Intervention cost data were collected and analyzed using the Drug Abuse Treatment Cost Analysis Program. Selected outcomes at the 3-month follow-up included the raw Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score, average weekly number of drinks and engaging in heavy drinking in the past month (>6 drinks on one occasion for men, >4 for women). Outcome differences between the intervention and control groups were estimated with both bivariate and multivariate techniques. RESULTS: The average economic cost of the brief intervention was dollars 632 per subject, of which screening (dollars 497) was the largest component. In all cases, intervention subjects had better 3-month outcomes than control subjects, but the differences were not always statistically significant. Cost-effectiveness ratios were relatively small for all three outcomes, suggesting this type of intervention has the potential to be cost-effective under full implementation. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary results demonstrate the potential advantage of further research in this area with larger samples and a longer follow-up period.
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Kunz 2004 had high risk of bias for incomplete outcome data because data (baseline and follow-up) were reported only for those not lost to follow-up.
“Data (baseline and follow-up) reported only for those not lost to follow-up”
From Effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions in primary care populations (2018) · cites this paper as Kunz 2004
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- Authors
- Kunz, F. M., French, M. T., & Bazargan-Hejazi, S.
- Affiliations
- Medical University of South Carolina (US)
- University of Miami (US)
- ORCID
- French, Michael T
- Venue
- Journal of Studies on Alcohol
- Publisher
- Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
- Published
- 2004-05
- Volume
- 65
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 363-370
- ISSN
- 0096-882X (ISSN-L)
- 1934-2683
- OpenAlex
- W1976123855
- Cited by
- 89
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 2.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Studies on Alcohol (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (U24AA011899, R01AA013167, U24AA-11899, R01 AA 13167)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
- Keywords
- alcohol screening, brief intervention, cost-effectiveness, problem drinking, emergency department, inner-city hospital, underserved populations, alcoholism, heavy drinking, intervention costs, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Alcohol Drinking, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Emergency Medical Services, Female, Humans, Male, Mass Screening, Psychotherapy, Brief, Urban Health Services
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