Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated with substantial healthcare expenditure and even greater societal costs resulting from productivity losses, criminal justice involvement, social care utilization, and premature mortality. Despite this burden, addiction care in Poland remains fragmented, with limited access to coordinated psychiatric services and evidence-based pharmacotherapy. This study aimed to identify health system reforms that could improve clinical outcomes while reducing the long-term societal burden of addiction.
METHODS: A policy analysis was performed using Polish epidemiological reports, national healthcare regulations, HTA methodological guidance, published economic evidence, and international clinical recommendations. The current organization of addiction care was assessed to identify evidence-policy gaps related to financing, service delivery, psychiatric workforce capacity, and access to pharmacological treatment.
RESULTS: The analysis demonstrated that addiction generates substantial costs extending far beyond the healthcare sector, with indirect costs representing a major component of the overall economic burden. Productivity losses, disability, criminal justice expenditures, family burden, and social welfare utilization contribute considerably to these costs. At the same time, limited integration of psychiatric care, insufficient workforce capacity, and restricted access to evidence-based pharmacotherapy reduce the effectiveness of addiction treatment. Evidence consistently indicates that early psychiatric intervention, coordinated multidisciplinary care, and broader access to effective treatment have the potential to reduce hospitalizations, improve long-term recovery, increase productivity, and decrease wider societal costs.
CONCLUSIONS: Addressing addiction should be viewed not only as a healthcare priority but also as a long-term economic investment. Strengthening addiction psychiatry, expanding coordinated care, and improving access to evidence-based treatment may generate substantial health and societal benefits while reducing the overall economic burden of addiction. Future health policy and HTA decision-making should consider these broader societal gains when prioritizing investments in addiction care.