Intensive smoking cessation counseling with patch use most cost-effective -- meta-analysis.
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
SMOKING CESSATION INTENSIVE COUNSELING COMBO WITH PATCH MOST COST-EFFECTIVE means of therapy, Jerry Cromwell, PhD, Health Economics Research, Waltham, Mass., et al., conclude in a meta-analysis measuring the cost-effectiveness of 15 methods of smoking cessation interventions. The meta-analysis is published in the Dec. 3 Journal of the American Medical Association. Cromwell et al. conclude that "while all interventions seem a reasonable societal investment, those involving more intensive counseling and the nicotine patch are particularly meritorious." They further note that compared to other preventive interventions, "smoking cessation is extremely cost-effective."