The cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of screening and brief intervention for unhealthy alcohol use in medical settings.

Economic evaluation can be a valuable tool for assessing the efficiency and value of health care programs. To examine the literature on the economic evaluation of alcohol screening and brief intervention in medical settings, relevant studies were identified in the MEDLINE database (1966 through November 2006) and by hand-searching the references of identified articles and relevant journals. The 15 identified studies used a range of economic evaluation methods, including cost analysis, cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, and cost-utility. Nearly all of the studies supported the use of alcohol screening and brief intervention. The studies that prospectively collected cost and effect data and/or conformed closely to methodological guidelines demonstrated a strong economic benefit of alcohol screening and brief intervention when compared to usual care. Overall, the reviewed studies support alcohol SBI in medical settings as a wise use of health care resources and illustrate the usefulness of economic evaluation for assessing alcohol prevention and treatment programs.