Modelling the cost-effectiveness of human milk and breastfeeding in preterm infants in the United Kingdom
James Mahon (),
Lindsay Claxton () and
Hannah Wood ()
Additional contact information
James Mahon: University of York
Lindsay Claxton: University of York
Hannah Wood: University of York
Health Economics Review, 2016, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-8
Abstract:
Abstract Objectives To estimate the cost savings and health benefits in the UK NHS that could be achieved if human milk usage in the NICU was increased. Methods A systematic review established the disease areas with the strong sources of evidence of the short, medium and long-term benefits of human milk for preterm infants as opposed to the use of formula milk. The analysis assessed the economic impact of reducing rates of necrotising enterocolitis, sepsis, sudden infant death syndrome, leukaemia, otitis media, obesity and neurodevelopmental impairment. Results Based on the number of preterm babies born in 2013, if 100% of premature infants being fed mother’s milk could be achieved in the NICU, the total lifetime cost savings to the NHS due to improved health outcomes is estimated to be £46.7 million (£30.1 million in the first year) with a total lifetime QALY gain of 10,594, There would be 238 fewer deaths due to neonatal infections and SIDS, resulting in a reduction of approximately £153.4 million in lifetime productivity. Sensitivity analyses indicated that results were robust to a wide range of inputs. Conclusions This analysis established that increasing the use of human milk in NICUs in the UK would lead to cost savings to the NHS. More research is needed on the medium and long term health and economic outcomes associated with breastfeeding preterm infants, and the differences between mother’s own and donor breast milk.
Keywords: Breastfeeding; Preterm infants; Economic evaluation; Cost-effectiveness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:
Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1186/s13561-016-0136-0 Abstract (text/html)
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:hecrev:v:6:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1186_s13561-016-0136-0
Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/journal/13561
DOI: 10.1186/s13561-016-0136-0
Access Statistics for this article
Health Economics Review is currently edited by J. Matthias Graf von der Schulenburg
More articles in Health Economics Review from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().