Phatthalung, Thailand - Alcohol-related road traffic injuries are a leading cause of death in Thailand. Each day, 35-43 Thais leave home and never return. A study, “
Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions for Reducing Road Traffic Injuries Related to Driving under the Influence of Alcohol,” published in
Value in Health, aimed to determine if interventions to reduce road traffic injuries caused by driving under the influence of alcohol are cost-effective - i.e. provide good value for money.
The authors considered alcohol-related road traffic crash victims who were injured, disabled, or died. Intervention effectiveness was derived from published reviews and a study in Thailand. Random breath testing (RBT), selective breath testing (SBT) and mass media campaigns, both current and intervention scenarios, were evaluated. The results suggest that the current mix of mass media campaigns and sobriety checkpoints in Thailand is cost-effective, but also that underinvestment in checkpoints limits their overall effect. Mass media campaigns, RBT and SBT all have the ability to save money from health care treatment costs whilst preventing road traffic injuries and deaths.
Principle investigator of the Setting Priorities using Information on Cost-Effectiveness Project, Professor Theo Vos said, “In a developing country such as Thailand, a greater intensity of conducting sobriety checkpoints is recommended. Mass media campaigns and sobriety checkpoints have the potential to reduce alcohol-related injuries and deaths by nearly one quarter.”
Value in Health (ISSN 1098-3015) publishes papers, concepts, and ideas that advance the field of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research as well as policy papers to help health care leaders make evidence-based decisions. The journal is published bi-monthly and has over 8,000 subscribers (clinicians, decision-makers, and researchers worldwide).
International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) is a nonprofit, international, educational and scientific organization that strives to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness of health care resource use to improve health.
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