Table 3.
Results from the health economic analysis.
| Home phototherapy Mean (SD) (n = 48) | Hospital phototherapy Mean (SD) (n = 44) | Mean difference (CI 95%) (statistically significant results in bold) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of days first to last bilirubin test | 4.0 (2.1) | (2.9) | 0.1 (− 0.9–1.2) |
| Number of hospital care days | 0.1 (0.4) | 1.4 (0.8) | − 1.3 (− 1.5 to − 1.0) |
| Number of outpatient visits | 3.0 (1.4) | 1.8a (1.5) | 1.2 (0.6–1.8) |
| Number of blood samples | 4.2 (1.4) | 4.2 (1.9) | 0.0 (− 0.7–0.6) |
| Bloodgas | 4.1 (1.5) | 4.2 (1.8) | − 0.1 (− 0.8–0.6)) |
| Laboratory | 0.1 (0.4) | 0.1 (0.3) | 0.1 (− 0.1–0.2) |
| Number of trips | 6.1 (2.7) | 3.6 (3.0) | 2.5 (1.3–3.6) |
| Distance (km) from home to hospitalb | 15.6 (16.8) | 16.3 (19.4) | − 0.7 (− 8.2–6.8) |
| Total transportation distance (km) | 95 (115) | 55 (72) | 40 (− 0.1–80.0) |
| Estimated costs per infant | |||
| Hospital cost neonatal unit | €191 (599) | €2113 (1282) | €-1922 (− 2331 to − 1513) |
| Hospital cost maternal unit | €91 (285) | €1005 (610) | €-914 (− 1109 to − 720) |
| Outpatient visits | €213 (95) | €127 (103) | €86 (45–127) |
| Materials | €4.1 (0.6) | €2.5 (2.1) | €1.6 (1.0–2.3) |
| Blood samples | €9.9 (3.5) | €10.1(4.4) | €-0.2 (− 1.8–1.5) |
| Transportation | €19 (22.9) | €11 (14.3) | €8.0 (− 0.2–16.0) |
| Sum of costs per infant | |||
| Neonatal unit | €436 (606) | €2264 (1313) | €-1827 (− 2245 to − 1409) |
| Maternity unit | €337 (302) | €1156 (645) | €-819 (− 1025 to − 613) |
aEstimated by number of round trips.
bEstimated by average distance to hospital from home postal code area.