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Costs and benefits of
preemployment drug screening.
Zwerling C, Ryan J, Orav EJ
Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental
Health, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa
City 52242.
OBJECTIVE--This study provides a cost-benefit analysis
of preemployment drug screening and evaluates the
sensitivity of this analysis to variation in its
underlying assumptions.
DESIGN--Cost-benefit analysis,
based on a cohort analytic study previously reported.
SETTING--Employees of the US Postal Service in Boston,
Mass.
PARTICIPANTS--Estimates of costs and benefit are
based on a cohort of 2533 postal workers in Boston and
on average costs for the Postal Service in Boston and
nationwide.
RESULTS--Drug screening would have saved the
Postal Service $162 per applicant hired. However, these
results were sensitive to the assumptions in the model.
If the prevalence of drug use in the population screened
were 1% rather than 12%, the program would lose money.
Similarly, if the cost per urine sample screened were
$95 rather than the $49 assumed, then the program would
lose money, even if the prevalence of drug positives was
as high as 9%.
CONCLUSIONS--Because of the sensitivity
of this analysis to changes in its underlying
assumptions, any company considering preemployment drug
screening should carefully weigh the costs and benefits
in its own industry.
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