Results of 100 consecutive laparoscopic distal pancreatectomies: postoperative outcome, cost-benefit analysis, and quality of life assessment

INTRODUCTION:Due to their chronic nature and high prevalence, alcohol and cannabis addiction leads to a significant (disease) burden and high costs, both for those involved and for society. The latter includes effects on health care, quality of life, employment, criminality, education, social security, violence in the public and private domain, and traffic accidents. In the Netherlands, a considerable number of people with an alcohol or cannabis addiction currently do not receive addiction care. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is effective as a treatment for both alcohol and cannabis addiction and is widely used in specialized addiction care centers. This social cost-benefit analysis (SCBA) models costs and benefits of increasing the uptake of CBT for persons with an alcohol addiction and for adolescents with a cannabis addiction, taking into account a wide range of social costs and effects (1).METHODS:The method follows general Dutch guidance for performing SCBA. A literature search was conducted to evaluate efficacy of CBT for alcohol and cannabis dependence. In addition, the social costs of alcohol and cannabis addiction for society were mapped, and the costs of enhancing the uptake of CBT were explored. Costs and benefits of increased uptake of CBT for different social domains were modeled for a ten year period, and compared with current (unchanged) uptake during this period. Compliance problems (about 50 percent of clients do not finish CBT) and fall-back to addiction behavior (decrease of effects of CBT over time) were taken into account in model estimations.RESULTS:Per client treated with CBT, the estimated benefits to society are EUR10,000-14,000 and EUR9,700-13,000, for alcohol and cannabis addiction, respectively. These benefits result from reduced morbidity and mortality, improved quality of life, higher productivity, fewer traffic accidents, and fewer criminal activities.CONCLUSIONS:This SCBA shows that not only treated clients but also society will benefit from an increase in people treated with CBT in specialized addiction care centers.

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Quality-of-Life and Cost–Benefit Analysis of a Home Environmental Assessment Program in Connecticut

Journal of Asthma ◽

10.3109/02770903.2010.535881 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 147-155 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Kimberly H. Nguyen ◽

Eileen Boulay ◽

Justin Peng

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Environmental Assessment ◽

Cost Benefit Analysis ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Benefit Analysis ◽

Assessment Program

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Well-Being and Public Policy

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199684267.013.028 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

John Bronsteen ◽

Christopher Buccafusco ◽

Jonathan Masur

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Cost Benefit Analysis ◽

Cost Benefit ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Psychological Research ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Benefit Analysis ◽

Laws And Policies

Governments rely on certain basic metrics and tools to analyze prospective laws and policies and to monitor how well their countries are doing. In the United States, cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is the primary tool for analyzing prospective policies, especially with respect to administrative regulations. Similarly, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is perhaps the most prominent metric for monitoring a country's progress. In recent years, one of the most important developments in social science has been the emergence of psychological research measuring subjective well-being (SWB) or ‘happiness’. This article first explains the way in which SWB is measured and how those measurements have been validated. It then discusses well-being analysis (WBA), which uses happiness data to analyze prospective policies more accurately than does CBA. Next, it covers the ways in which SWB data have been used to generate prices that can be used by traditional economic analysis. This is followed by a discussion of attempts to revise CBA to deal with the limitations stemming from the fact that it uses wealth to assess the effects of policy on quality of life. Finally, the article lays out the progress made towards creating an SWB-based alternative to GDP.

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