Cost-Utility Analysis of Neonatal Screening Program, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, 2010

Objective: The most important cause of infant mortality during the first month of life is related to congenital abnormalities. Nevertheless, timely diagnosis of these diseases can reduce the severity of their effects. The present study aimed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of the neonatal screening program in Fars Province, Iran.
Methods: In this study, costs of executing the screening programs, treatment of the diagnosed cases, treatment of affected, non-screened individuals, quality of life, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were measured in two study groups.
Findings: Performing the screening programs for phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism, galactosemia, and favism resulted in respectively $3386, $13078, $19641, and $1088 saving per patient. Overall, the study results revealed the cost-effectiveness of execution of the neonatal screening program.
Conclusion: Neonatal screening program is one of the health interventions which lead to long-term beneficial outcome for the patients, financial saving for the society, and improvement of the patients’ quantity as well as quality of life.

Keywords
Cost-utility Analysis; Screening, Economic Evaluation; Phenylketonuria; Congenital Hypothyroidism; Favism; Galactosemia