@article{ref1,
title="Cost-effectiveness of interventions for increasing the possession of functioning smoke alarms in households with pre-school children: a modelling study",
journal="BMC public health",
year="2014",
author="Saramago, Pedro and Cooper, Nicola J. and Sutton, Alex J. and Hayes, H. R. Michael (Mike) and Dunn, Ken and Manca, Andrea and Kendrick, Denise",
volume="14",
number="1",
pages="459-459",
abstract="BACKGROUND: The UK has one of the highest rates for deaths from fire and flames in children aged 0-14 years compared to other high income countries. Evidence shows that smoke alarms can reduce the risk of fire-related injury but little exists on their cost-effectiveness. We aimed to compare the cost effectiveness of different interventions for the uptake of 'functioning' smoke alarms and consequently for the prevention of fire-related injuries in children in the UK. <br><br>METHODS: We carried out a decision model-based probabilistic cost-effectiveness analysis. We used a hypothetical population of newborns and evaluated the impact of living in a household with or without a functioning smoke alarm during the first 5 years of their life on overall lifetime costs and quality of life from a public health perspective. We compared seven interventions, ranging from usual care to more complex interventions comprising of education, free/low cost equipment giveaway, equipment fitting and/or home safety inspection. <br><br>RESULTS: Education and free/low cost equipment was the most cost-effective intervention with an estimated incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of [pound sign]34,200 per QALY gained compared to usual care. This was reduced to approximately [pound sign]4,500 per QALY gained when 1.8 children under the age of 5 were assumed per household. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Assessing cost-effectiveness, as well as effectiveness, is important in a public sector system operating under a fixed budget restraint. As highlighted in this study, the more effective interventions (in this case the more complex interventions) may not necessarily be the ones considered the most cost-effective.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1471-2458",
doi="10.1186/1471-2458-14-459",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-459"
}