title: [The usefulness of evaluating effectiveness: pre-implantation genetic screening as an example].
abstract: Many treatments are applied in medical practice without a proper evaluation of their effectiveness. In this article, the possible negative consequences of such interventions are illustrated by using pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) as an example. Research has shown that PGS is both expensive and ineffective. Hypothetically speaking, the non-performance of PGS saved 6 million euro in 2006 and the loss of 369 pregnancies was prevented. The investment in this research was much less than these 6 million euro saved. We postulate making the reimbursement of interventions dependent on their clinical effectiveness, and to use the money saved by this strategy for well-designed and well-executed research on the effectiveness of other interventions.
authors.affiliation: AMC, Centrum voor Voortplantingsgeneeskunde, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. m.twisk@amc.nl
authors.forename: Moniek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Twisk
mesh_terms: D057186:Comparative Effectiveness Research; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005820:Genetic Testing / Q000191:economics*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands