COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF REGIONAL POISON CONTROL CENTERS

Background: Poison exposures are a significant public health concern. Despite the impact that regional poison control centers have on reduci ng morbidity and mortality associated with poison exposures, they are facing a serious financial crisis today resulting in an increased emph asis on their economic justification. Methods: Using decision-analysis techniques, the cost-effectiveness of the treatment of poison exposur es with the services of a regional poison control center compared with treatment without access to any poison control center was evaluated. The relative cost-effectiveness was modeled based on 2 outcomes (morbi dity and mortality) for each of 4 typical poison exposures. Additional ly, analyses were conducted to test the sensitivity of the cost-effect iveness ratios to outcome probability, average inpatient and emergency department costs, and proportion of poison exposures treated on site by the regional poison control center. A societal perspective was adop ted. Results: The regional poison control center was substantially mor e cost-effective than the treatment of poison exposures without the se rvices of a regional poison control center for both outcomes (morbidit y and mortality) in each of the poison exposures considered. The resul ts of the sensitivity analyses demonstrated that the outcomes of the d ecision analyses do not change regardless of the type of poison exposu re, outcome considered, clinical outcome probabilities, average inpati ent and emergency department costs, and proportion of poison-exposure cases treated on site by a regional poison control center. Conclusions : The regional poison control center is consistently more cost-effecti ve in the treatment of poison exposures with an average cost-effective ness ratio (cost per successful outcome) approximately half of that ac hieved without the services of a regional poison control center. Final ly, significant cost savings to society are realized for each addition al successful outcome obtained with a regional poison control center.