%0 Journal Article
%@ 1438-8871
%I Gunther Eysenbach
%V 14
%N 5
%P e134
%T Economic Evaluation of Internet-Based Interventions for Harmful Alcohol Use Alongside a Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial
%A Blankers,Matthijs
%A Nabitz,Udo
%A Smit,Filip
%A Koeter,Maarten WJ
%A Schippers,Gerard M
%+ Department Jellinek, Arkin Mental Health Care, PO Box 75848, Amsterdam, 1070 AV, Netherlands, 31 611785270, m.blankers@amc.uva.nl
%K Cost-benefit analysis
%K randomized controlled trial
%K alcohol-induced disorders
%K self-help
%K computer-assisted therapy
%D 2012
%7 29.10.2012
%9 Original Paper
%J J Med Internet Res
%G English
%X Background: Internet interventions with and without therapist support have been found to be effective treatment options for harmful alcohol users. Internet-based therapy (IT) leads to larger and longer-lasting positive effects than Internet-based self-help (IS), but it is also more costly to provide. Objective: To evaluate the cost effectiveness and cost utility of Internet-based interventions for harmful use of alcohol through the assessment of the incremental cost effectiveness of IT compared with IS. Methods: This study was performed in a substance abuse treatment center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We collected data over the years 2008–2009. A total of 136 participants were included, 70 (51%) were female, and mean age was 41.5 (SD 9.83) years. Reported alcohol consumption and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores indicated harmful drinking behavior at baseline. We collected self-reported outcome data prospectively at baseline and 6 months after randomization. Cost data were extracted from the treatment center’s cost records, and sex- and age-specific mean productivity cost data for the Netherlands. Results: The median incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was estimated at €3683 per additional treatment responder and €14,710 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. At a willingness to pay €20,000 for 1 additional QALY, IT had a 60% likelihood of being more cost effective than IS. Sensitivity analyses attested to the robustness of the findings. Conclusions: IT offers better value for money than IS and might therefore be considered as a treatment option, either as first-line treatment in a matched-care approach or as a second-line treatment in the context of a stepped-care approach. Trial Registration: Netherlands Trial Register NTR-TC1155; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=1155 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6AqnV4eTU) 
%M 23103771
%R 10.2196/jmir.2052
%U http://www.jmir.org/2012/5/e134/
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.2052
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23103771