Cost-effectiveness of a smoking cessation program after myocardial infarction

Abstract

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a smoking cessation program initiated after acute myocardial infarction. Background. The value of allocating health care resources to smoking cessation programs after myocardial infarction has not been compared with the value of other currently accepted interventions. Methods. A model was developed to examine the cost-effectiveness of a recently reported smoking cessation program after an acute myocardial infarction. The cost was estimated by considering the resources necessary to implement the program, and the effectiveness was expressed as discounted years of life saved. Years of life saved were estimated by modeling life expectancy using a single declining exponential approximation of life expectancy based on data from published reports. Results. The cost-effectiveness of the nurse-managed smoking cessation program was estimated to be $220/year of life saved. In a one-way sensitivity analysis, the cost-effectiveness of the program remained