Costs and benefits of neonatal intensive care.
A cohort of very low birthweight infants (less than 1500 g) born in 1979-81 from a geographically defined area was followed up, and a costing of the initial admission to the neonatal intensive care unit was made. A four point scale for the severity of disability was used and estimation of the costs of education and full time residential care was made and discounted at 5% over the appropriate period. During the three years a progressively increasing proportion of infants survived, and this was associated with an increasing proportion of disabilities among the survivors. If costs are related to outcome up to the age of 4 they get progressively less over the three year study period. After the age of 4 the costs of special education and residential care dominate, and the cost trend is reversed.
Pharoah
P O
PO
Department of Community Health, University of Liverpool.
Stevenson
R C
RC
Cooke
R W
RW
Sandu
B
B
D002654:Child Care; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003422:Critical Care / Q000191:economics*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000191:economics*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004739:England; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000191:economics*