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The cost of irregular antibody screening
V A Barss1, F D Frigoletto, A Konugres
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
|August 1, 1988
Insights
Irregular antibody screening in the third trimester is costly, exceeding $600,000 per perinatal death averted. This expense is high compared to the disease
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine
- Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- Third-trimester irregular antibody screening is crucial for preventing hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn.
- The economic impact of current screening protocols has not been comprehensively evaluated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the cost-effectiveness of third-trimester irregular antibody screening.
- To compare the cost per perinatal death averted with other established screening tests.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of costs associated with irregular antibody screening.
- Calculation of cost per perinatal death averted.
- Benchmarking against costs of other prenatal screening modalities.
Main Results:
- The cost of irregular antibody screening exceeds $600,000 per perinatal death averted.
- This cost is significantly higher than the clinical impact of the condition and the costs of alternative screening methods.
Conclusions:
- Current third-trimester irregular antibody screening protocols represent a potentially prohibitive cost.
- Re-evaluation of screening strategies may be warranted to optimize resource allocation and clinical outcomes.
Abstract:
The cost of irregular antibody screening in the third trimester exceeds +600,000.00 per perinatal death averted. This cost appears prohibitive compared with the clinical impact of the disease and costs of other screening tests.