Abstract
Background
Several reports exist on guidelines related to antenatal care in Europe. Integrated comparative reports on care utilization and associated costs in this field are lacking. Yet these are needed for international health economic analyses in antenatal care.
Aim and objectives of the study
The aim of this study was to describe and compare antenatal care trajectories in four European countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy and Ireland) and to obtain an overview of the standard costs of antenatal care.
Method
First, literature search was conducted in (inter)national peer-reviewed and grey literature. Secondly, we performed a hand-search of references in the selected articles and consulted websites of relevant bodies. Thirdly, we contacted experts in the field of all four countries to check for face-validity and completeness of the data collection. No ethical approval was obtained for this study, as this was a literature search and expert opinion study.
Work to date
The main healthcare provider in Belgium, Germany and Italy is an obstetrician. In Ireland, shared care by a GP/hospital is used in the majority of women. The number of visits as well as content of care is regulated in Ireland and Italy by the National Health System. In Germany, antenatal care services are reimbursed if in accordance with the national recommendations. In Belgium, ambulatory care is mainly private and healthcare providers are remunerated on a fee-for-service basis.
Conclusions and Implications
The main healthcare provider, content of care and mode of payment differ between countries which compromises straightforward comparison of health care utilisation and costs. These findings provide the possibility to improve health economic modeling by taking into account between-country variations when new approaches in antenatal care are evaluated against ‘standard care’ across Europe.
Acknowledgement
Funded by the European Commission under FP7-HEALTH-2012_INNOVATION-1, grant agreement 305208, “OptiBIRTH”
Several reports exist on guidelines related to antenatal care in Europe. Integrated comparative reports on care utilization and associated costs in this field are lacking. Yet these are needed for international health economic analyses in antenatal care.
Aim and objectives of the study
The aim of this study was to describe and compare antenatal care trajectories in four European countries (Belgium, Germany, Italy and Ireland) and to obtain an overview of the standard costs of antenatal care.
Method
First, literature search was conducted in (inter)national peer-reviewed and grey literature. Secondly, we performed a hand-search of references in the selected articles and consulted websites of relevant bodies. Thirdly, we contacted experts in the field of all four countries to check for face-validity and completeness of the data collection. No ethical approval was obtained for this study, as this was a literature search and expert opinion study.
Work to date
The main healthcare provider in Belgium, Germany and Italy is an obstetrician. In Ireland, shared care by a GP/hospital is used in the majority of women. The number of visits as well as content of care is regulated in Ireland and Italy by the National Health System. In Germany, antenatal care services are reimbursed if in accordance with the national recommendations. In Belgium, ambulatory care is mainly private and healthcare providers are remunerated on a fee-for-service basis.
Conclusions and Implications
The main healthcare provider, content of care and mode of payment differ between countries which compromises straightforward comparison of health care utilisation and costs. These findings provide the possibility to improve health economic modeling by taking into account between-country variations when new approaches in antenatal care are evaluated against ‘standard care’ across Europe.
Acknowledgement
Funded by the European Commission under FP7-HEALTH-2012_INNOVATION-1, grant agreement 305208, “OptiBIRTH”
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Unpublished - 5 Nov 2013 |
| Event | 15th Healthcare Interdisciplinary Research Conference, student Colloquium School of Nursing and Midwifery - Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Duration: 5 Nov 2013 → 7 Nov 2013 http://www.trinityhirc.com/ |
Conference
| Conference | 15th Healthcare Interdisciplinary Research Conference, student Colloquium School of Nursing and Midwifery |
|---|---|
| Country | Ireland |
| City | Dublin |
| Period | 5/11/13 → 7/11/13 |
| Internet address |