Table 6.
Reported findings of economic evaluations on midwifery
| High income countries (n = 26) |
Low- and middle-income countries (n = 6) |
Total (n = 32) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Midwifery costs reported | |||
| Less than comparator | 20 | 1 | 21 |
| Similar to or less than comparator* | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Similar to comparator | 3 | 3 | |
| More than comparator | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| N/A (no comparator) | 3 | 3 | |
| Study conclusion regarding costs or cost-effectiveness | |||
| Midwifery care and obstetric care combined is cost-saving | 1 | 1 | |
| Midwifery care has comparable costs | 2 | 2 | |
| Midwifery care is comparable to cost savings^ | 3 | 3 | |
| Midwifery care is cost-beneficial | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Midwifery care is cost-effective | 2 | 2 | |
| Midwifery care offers cost savings | 17 | 1 | 19 |
| Midwifery care costs more but is cost-effective | 1 | 1 | |
| In-service education is cost-effective | 1 | 1 | |
| N/A (education cost description only) | 2 | 2 |
*Studies that presented costs from different study sites, intervention arms or perspectives, with some costing results presented as being comparable to the comparator and some costing results as less than the comparator [40, 55, 68]
^Studies that presented differing results from two perspectives [40] or two intervention arms [55]