Cost-benefit analysis of a national thalassaemia prevention programme in Israel.
J Med Screen
; 5(3): 120-6, 1998.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-9795870
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
In Israel (population 5.7 million) there are around 200 known living subjects with thalassaemia major, of whom around 80% are from the northern district. This study aims at examining the costs and benefits of a national screening programme to prevent thalassaemia in Israel. MEASUREMENTS AND MAINRESULTS:
The lifetime healthcare costs of caring for a person born with thalassaemia major are $284,154. The costs of the home infusion service (33.1%) actually exceed the costs of the chelating agent itself (22.1%). The remaining 44.8% of costs are due to stay in hospital, operations, outpatient visits, laboratory tests, therapists, etc. Lost earnings and premature mortality costs account for a further $51,843 and $141,944 respectively for each case. A national screening programme would cost $900,197 and prevent around 13.4 homozygotes being born, at a cost of $67,369 for each birth prevented. The benefit-cost ratio of the programme to the health services is 4.221, which increases to 6.011 when a societal perspective is taken. However, around 13.0 homozygote births are still expected to occur, the majority owing to lack of compliance of patients at various stages in the screening process. The addition of a national health education programme for the higher risk non-Jewish population either nationally or in selected regions will incur extra costs, which may be covered by increased benefits as a result of better compliance with the screening programme.CONCLUSION:
Israel should start to provide a nationwide thalassaemia screening programme as the monetary benefits to society (and even to the health services alone) will exceed the screening programmes costs.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Talassemia
/
Programas de Rastreamento
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Health_economic_evaluation
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Screening_studies
Limite:
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
País/Região como assunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Med Screen
Assunto da revista:
EPIDEMIOLOGIA
/
SAUDE PUBLICA
Ano de publicação:
1998
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Israel