Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 28, 2025
Application of an Amplitude-integrated EEG Monitor Cerebral Function Monitor to Neonates
Published on: September 6, 2017
Medical Utilization and Costs in Preterm Infants in the First 6 Years of Life After Discharge From Neonatal Intensive
Ju Hyun Jin1, Sang Ah Lee2, Shin Won Yoon3
1Department of Pediatrics, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
Insights
Preterm infants, especially those born earlier, incur higher healthcare utilization and costs throughout childhood. This highlights the long-term socioeconomic impact and need for targeted public health policies for these vulnerable children.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Public Health
- Health Economics
Background:
- Improved survival rates for preterm infants have led to increased childhood morbidities.
- Assessing medical utilization and costs in preterm infants post-neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate healthcare resource utilization and associated costs in preterm infants during the first six years of life.
- To understand the long-term economic burden on public health related to preterm birth.
Main Methods:
- Population-based study using Korean National Health Insurance Service data (2011-2017).
- Analysis of 361,190 children categorized by gestational age: extremely preterm (<28 weeks), very preterm (28-31 weeks), moderate to late preterm (32-36 weeks), and full term (37-41 weeks).
- Comparison of cumulative outpatient visits, hospital stay length, admission rates (hospital and ICU), and medical costs across groups.
Main Results:
- Earlier gestational age correlated with increased outpatient visits, hospital stay duration, and admission rates for hospital and ICU.
- Mean cumulative inpatient and outpatient costs per child decreased as gestational age increased.
- Moderate to late preterm children incurred the highest total cumulative medical costs when considering population size.
Conclusions:
- Earlier gestational age is strongly linked to higher healthcare resource utilization and medical expenses.
- Findings underscore the significant long-term socioeconomic impact of preterm birth on public health.
- Results can inform future healthcare policies and resource allocation for preterm infants.
Background:
The improvement in the survival rate of preterm infants has paradoxically raised the risk of morbidities in childhood. Our objectives were to assess the medical utilization and costs in preterm infants following discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit in the first 6 years of life.
Methods:
We conducted a population-based study using the National Health Information Database (2011-2017) provided by the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS). A total of 361,190 children born in Korea between January 1 and December 31, 2011 were divided into four groups according to the gestational age at birth: extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks), very preterm (28-31 weeks), moderate to late preterm (32-36 weeks), and full term (37-41 weeks). The cumulative number of outpatient visits, cumulative length of hospital stay, rate of hospital and intensive care unit admissions, and cumulative medical costs for inpatients and outpatients were compared for each gestational age group.
Results:
Earlier gestational age was significantly associated with an increased risk of the cumulative number of outpatient visits, cumulative length of hospital stay, and rate of hospital and intensive care unit admissions for the first 6 years of life. The mean cumulative inpatient and outpatient costs per child significantly decreased with increasing gestational age. When assessed based on population size, the total cumulative medical costs were highest for moderate to late preterm children.
Conclusion:
Earlier gestational age was strongly associated with increased healthcare resource utilization and medical costs. Our findings on the potential long-term socioeconomic impact on public health are expected to aid the development of future health care policies for preterm children.
