Cost-effectiveness of point-of-care testing for dehydration in the pediatric ED.
OBJECTIVE
Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and subsequent dehydration account for a large proportion of pediatric emergency department (PED) visits. Point-of-care (POC) testing has been used in conjunction with clinical assessment to determine the degree of dehydration. Despite the wide acceptance of POC testing, little formal cost-effective analysis of POC testing in the PED exists. We aim to examine the cost-effectiveness of using POC electrolyte testing vs traditional serum chemistry testing in the PED for children with AGE.


METHODS
This was a cost-effective analysis using data from a randomized control trial of children with AGE. A decision analysis model was constructed to calculate cost-savings from the point of view of the payer and the provider. We used parameters obtained from the trial, including cost of testing, admission rates, cost of admission, and length of stay. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the stability of our model.


RESULTS
Using the data set of 225 subjects, POC testing results in a cost savings of $303.30 per patient compared with traditional serum testing from the point of the view of the payer. From the point-of-view of the provider, POC testing results in consistent mean savings of $36.32 ($8.29-$64.35) per patient. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated the stability of the model and consistent savings.


CONCLUSIONS
This decision analysis provides evidence that POC testing in children with gastroenteritis-related moderate dehydration results in significant cost savings from the points of view of payers and providers compared to traditional serum chemistry testing.
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Emergency Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510. Electronic address: rachel.whitney@yale.edu.
Rachel E
RE
Whitney
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Emergency Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Karen
K
Santucci
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Emergency Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Allen
A
Hsiao
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Emergency Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Lei
L
Chen
D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D017046:Cost Savings; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003681:Dehydration / Q000191:economics / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D000067716:Point-of-Care Testing / Q000191:economics*