Research Update

Alcohol Use and Pregnancy: An Important Canadian Public Health and Social Issue

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8.10 Cost-effectiveness of Treatment

The 2002 lifetime costs of care for a person with FAS were estimated to be US $2 million.³⁰⁶ In years ahead, it will be important for researchers in this field to determine the extent to which various interventions can be expected to help avoid these enormous costs. While several authors have examined cost-effectiveness of drug treatment and found benefits, no cost-effectiveness study specific to treatment for pregnant women with alcohol use problems was found.^307,308 Ashley, in a discussion on cost-effectiveness in women's treatment that applies to pregnant women's treatment, noted the need for better controlled studies on which to make reliable comparisons³⁰⁹. Research on the Sheway program estimated that it cost $8,000 per family per year for the Sheway program's comprehensive care and $49,000 per year for a special needs foster placement.³¹⁰ Ultimately, however, the availability of empirically supported treatment for pregnant women is more than an issue of cost-effectiveness. It has been suggested that the lack of empirically based treatment for pregnant women is one of the most important social justice issues in US medicine and thus should not be judged solely on the basis of whether it saves money.³¹¹

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