[Hospitalization during pregnancy--the professional versus the economic viewpoint]

The high percentage of hospitalized pregnant women in the Czech Republic was analyzed form the cost benefit aspect within the framework of the current transformation of the health services which restricts in-patient care in favour of ambulatory care, as part of the developing market economy. Two internationally accepted indicators of quality of perinatal morbidity-maternal (rate of eclampsia) as well as neonatal (rate of low birth weight infants), i.e. partially preventable prenatal hospitalizations. In a comparative epidemiological study the incidence of these indicators in the Czech Republic was compared with the incidence in Hessen where there is a lower rate of prenatal hospital admissions, while there is a similar system of perinatal care and general perinatal mortality. In the Czech Republic where the cost of hospitalization of pregnant women is higher, the authors found as regards the benefit a lower incidence of the mentioned two indicators and from the economic aspect a lower cost of neonatal intensive care than in Hessen. This saving was fourfold as compared with the higher costs of prenatal hospitalization.