How great is willingness to pay for recovery from sequelae after severe traumatic brain injury in Japan?
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the burden on families with a family member suffering traumatic brain injury sequelae in Japan.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Family members' burden from the sequelae of traumatic brain injury was estimated by use of willingness-to-pay models and the contingent valuation method. A national survey among 1707 members of the Japan Traumatic Brain Injury Association was conducted by postal questionnaire with open-ended questions. A total of 509 (29.8%) of the family members responded (405 men and 104 women). Mean age of patients with traumatic brain injury was 33.4 (SD 14.3) years and of responding family members 53.3 (SD 14.5) years.


RESULTS
Willingness-to-pay for the family member's recovery from sequelae of traumatic brain injury (8,694,502 Japanese yen; 79,134 US dollars/year) was similar to that reported for a family member's survival from incurable terminal disease (8,342,953 Japanese yen; 75,934 US dollars/year).


CONCLUSIONS
The data indicate that family members perceive the burden of a family member with traumatic brain injury sequelae as similar to what would have been caused by an incurable terminal disease.
Department of Neurotraumatology, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan. keiman@theia.ocn.ne.jp
Keiji
K
Hashimoto
Toshinori
T
Nakamura
Ichiro
I
Wada
Kentaro
K
Yoshida
Shinji
S
Satoh
Masahiro
M
Abo
Hiroshi
H
Seta
Masahiro
M
Ohashi
D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018803:Models, Economic; D020127:Recovery of Function; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires