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Published on: December 6, 2016
Willingness to pay for polysomnography in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a cost-benefit analysis
Ariel Tarasiuk1, Tzahit Simon, Uri Regev
1Sleep-Wake Disorders Unit, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel. areiltarasiuk@yahoo.com
Insights
Parents are willing to pay for polysomnography (PSG) for children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). This diagnosis offers a significant monetary benefit, justifying resource allocation for increased PSG availability.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Health Economics
Background:
- Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a prevalent condition in children.
- Polysomnography (PSG) is a crucial diagnostic tool for OSAS.
- Understanding parental willingness to pay (WTP) can inform healthcare resource allocation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine parental willingness to pay (WTP) for polysomnography (PSG) in children diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).
- To evaluate the cost-benefit of PSG within a publicly funded healthcare system.
Main Methods:
- A university-affiliated sleep laboratory setting was used.
- A telephone survey employing a contingent valuation approach was administered to parents of 252 children (158 boys, 94 girls; mean age 6.0 ± 3.9 years).
- Three parent groups were surveyed: those scheduled for PSG, those who had undergone PSG within 6 months, and those who had undergone PSG and adenotonsillectomy within 6 months.
Main Results:
- A 92% compliance rate was achieved, with 252 parents responding to the WTP interview.
- Multivariate analysis identified bid, age times bid, and affected health status as significant predictors of WTP.
- The median WTP for PSG in children with OSAS post-adenotonsillectomy was $762, yielding a net monetary benefit of $572 per diagnosis after accounting for healthcare savings and PSG costs.
Conclusions:
- Polysomnography (PSG) diagnosis for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is demonstrably beneficial.
- Willingness to pay (WTP) data can guide decision-makers and sleep specialists in prioritizing resources to enhance PSG accessibility for children.
Objectives:
To analyze willingness to pay (WTP) for polysomnography (PSG) among parents of children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). To analyze the cost-benefit of PSG in a collectively funded healthcare system.
Setting:
University-affiliated sleep laboratory.
Subjects:
Parents of 158 boys and 94 girls, who had a mean age of 6.0 +/- 3.9 years. The telephone survey, using a contingent valuation approach, was conducted with 3 groups of parents: those whose children were scheduled for PSG (n = 83), whose children were had had PSG within the previous 6 months (n = 77), and whose children had had PSG and adenotonsillectomy in the previous 6 months (n = 92).
Results:
Two hundred and fifty-two parents (92% compliance rate), 75% of whom were mothers, responded to the WTP interview. Multivariate analysis revealed that the independent variables influencing WTP were bid (OR = 0.745, P < .001), age times bid (OR = 0.835, P < .05), and affected health status (OR = 3.5, P < .001). The median WTP value for PSG studies of children with OSAS following adenotonsillectomy was dollars 762 plus the savings of dollars 60 to the health care system-subtracting the cost of the dollars 250 PSG study resulted in a monetary benefit of dollars 572 per diagnosis.
Conclusions:
We conclude that PSG diagnosis for children with OSAS is beneficial. Decision makers and sleep specialists can use WTP to prioritize allocation of resources to increase the availability of PSG studies for children.
