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Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Malaysian Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Journal of Perinatology volume 25, pages 47–53 (2005)Cite this article

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 23 March 2005

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To perform a cost-effective analysis on the care of infants between 1000 and 1500 g birthweight (the study group), where outcomes are measured as survival to 1 year of age.

METHODOLOGY:

This was a multicenter observational study to determine the outcome, cost and cost-effectiveness of neonatal intensive care provided by Ministry of Health (MOH) Pediatric services. A total of 333 patients enrolled were eligible for analysis according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria of this study.

RESULTS:

Overall survival probability of the study group infants at 1 year of age was 78%. Survival at 1-year of age was 77% for infants with birth weight 1000 to 1249 g, 79% for 1250 to 1499 g. Survival at 1 year of age for the sample group was 53% for 22 to 27 weeks gestation, 80% for 28 to 36 weeks. The average cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) of neonatal intensive care for the study group infants was US$26 per survivor at 1 year of age (95% confidence interval US$3411, 5160).

CONCLUSION:

There was variability in the outcome and cost-effectiveness between the neonatal units, which need to be further assessed. However, neonatal intensive care services provided for the study group infants were cost-effective compared to that in developed countries.

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Acknowledgements

The following are gratefully acknowledged for their help with the data collection: the nursing staff in the NICUs who took part in the study. We also thank the Director-General of Health for allowing publication of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatrics, Paediatric Institute, Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Irene Guat Sim Cheah FRCP, Anna Padma Soosai MRCP & Swee Lan Wong FRCP

  2. Clinical Research Centre, Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Teck Onn Lim FRCP

Authors
  1. Irene Guat Sim Cheah FRCP
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  2. Anna Padma Soosai MRCP
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  3. Swee Lan Wong FRCP
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  4. Teck Onn Lim FRCP
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Additional information

For the Cost-effectiveness NICU study group

Cost-effectiveness NICU study group: Irene Cheah, Padma Soosai, Wong Swee Lan, Lee Kok Foo, Chan Lee Gaik, Tan Kah Kee, Lee Meng Lee, Mohd. Hanifah, Hasmawati Hassan.

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Cheah, I., Soosai, A., Wong, S. et al. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Malaysian Neonatal Intensive Care Units. J Perinatol 25, 47–53 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jp.7211196

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