The harmful use of alcohol places a considerable burden on the community, both socially and financially. The aim of this study was to determine if the use of implant naltrexone is associated with a reduction in health care events and costs in patients treated for problematic alcohol use. Ninety four patients (60.6% male) treated between 2002 and 2007 were matched against state hospital, emergency department (ED), mental health out-patients and mortality data sets for 6 months prior to and 6 months post treatment. The number of patients, events, and costs associated with each health event were compared before and after treatment. Overall health care events and costs were reduced from $509033 prior to treatment to $270001 following treatment. Costs associated with hospital admission showed the most significant reduction, falling from $424605 (82 admissions/36 patients) before treatment to $203462 (43 admission/24 patients) after. While costs associated with ED attendances also fell ($74885 to $54712), costs associated with mental health out-patient attendances increased ($9543 to $11827). The use of implant naltrexone was associated with a reduction health events and costs in patients with problematic alcohol use in the first 6 months following treatment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.