Health and economic impact of universal screening and management of alcohol use disorders in India: An economic modelling study

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AIM: The study assessed the health and economic implications as well as the cost-utility of implementing universal alcohol use disorder (AUD) screening in 15-74 years population at the primary healthcare level compared with the current practice of diagnosis and management of symptomatic AUD patients seeking formal healthcare. DESIGN: Model-based cost-utility analysis using a hybrid model comprising a decision tree and lifetime age- and gender-specific Markov models for alcohol attributable conditions, including road traffic accident injuries, alcohol-related liver disease and head and neck cancers. The analysis was undertaken from both an abridged societal (consideration of direct cost of care) and a societal (consideration of direct and indirect costs) perspective. SETTING: India (national and sub-national level analysis). PARTICIPANTS: 15-74 years population segregated by gender. INTERVENTIONS AND COMPARATORS: The intervention was 10-year annual population-based screening for alcohol use disorders using alcohol use disorder identification test by community health workers at primary care facilities. The comparator was 'usual care' scenario of diagnosis and management of symptomatic AUD patients, considering care seeking patterns in India. MEASUREMENTS: Differences in life years, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), alcohol attributable deaths and morbidities, direct costs and indirect costs in the comparative scenarios, along with incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR), benefit-cost ratio and net monetary benefit. ICUR was evaluated using the per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) threshold of ₹171 498 (US$2182), as per Indian economic evaluation guidelines. Probabilistic and deterministic sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify the parameters that are likely to have an impact on efficiency of the screening programme. FINDINGS: The AUD universal screening programme was associated with a gain of 71.16 million QALYs at population level, with approximately one-fourth reduction in the incidence of alcohol-attributable conditions. The ICUR value indicated that the programme is likely to be cost-effective from an abridged societal perspective. The intervention is projected to generate a gain of ₹8.21 (US$1.03) trillion, equivalent to per year gain of 0.59% of GDP, based on the abridged societal perspective. The deterministic sensitivity analysis indicated that reductions in diagnostic accuracy of the screening method, prevalence of AUD and treatment coverage had an inverse impact on the ICURs and could impact efficiency of the programme. CONCLUSION: There is good health and economic evidence to support the integration of alcohol use disorder screening and management within routine primary care. It would be essential to deploy measures for effectiveness of the screening tool and continuity of care to enhance efficiency of the programme.

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