Das Gesundheitswesen
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Das Gesundheitswesen · Jul 2004
Clinical Trial[Smoking-attributable productivity loss in Germany--a partial sickness cost study based on the human capital potential method].
Costs of productivity loss for the Federal Republic of Germany attributable to smoking in 1999 was to be determined. ⋯ This partial disease cost study shows that immense economic productivity losses are associated with smoking. This loss of resources can justify a purposeful promotion of studies regarding cost effectiveness of anti-smoking therapeutic measures or preventive measures against smoking. But it should be considered that the use of the human potential capital method results in an overestimation of the actual productivity losses by smoking. In future the costs of productivity losses attributable to smoking should be determined by the friction cost method. With this procedure a more realistic estimation of productivity-relevant costs of smoking is possible.