Economic evaluation of long-term impacts of universal newborn hearing screening.

Economic evaluation of long-term impacts of universal newborn hearing screening.

Int J Audiol. 2016 Sep 6;:1-7

Authors: Chiou ST, Lung HL, Chen LS, Yen AM, Fann JC, Chiu SY, Chen HH

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the long-term efficacious and economic impacts of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS).
DESIGN: An analytical Markov decision model was framed with two screening strategies: UNHS with transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) test and automatic acoustic brainstem response (aABR) test against no screening. By estimating intervention and long-term costs on treatment and productivity losses and the utility of life years determined by the status of hearing loss, we computed base-case estimates of the incremental cost-utility ratios (ICURs). The scattered plot of ICUR and acceptability curve was used to assess the economic results of aABR versus TEOAE or both versus no screening.
STUDY SAMPLE: A hypothetical cohort of 200,000 Taiwanese newborns.
RESULTS: TEOAE and aABR dominated over no screening strategy (ICUR = $-4800.89 and $-4111.23, indicating less cost and more utility). Given $20,000 of willingness to pay (WTP), the probability of being cost-effective of aABR against TEOAE was up to 90%.
CONCLUSIONS: UNHS for hearing loss with aABR is the most economic option and supported by economically evidence-based evaluation from societal perspective.

PMID: 27598544 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

from #ENT-PubMed via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2cgJdZ8
via IFTTT