The latest American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for managing jaundice in late preterm and term neonates have increased the bilirubin thresholds to start phototherapy. This was considered safe based on expert consensus but its cost-effectiveness has not yet been evaluated. We found that implementing the new guidelines decreased hospitalisations due to phototherapy by 68.7%, 70.2%, and 60% for the total population and the late preterm and term subgroups, respectively (p<0.001 for the three analyses). The hospitalisation costs were decreased from €1,289,040 to €423,120 (i.e. an absolute saving of €865,920, or 68%, for the entire population composed by late preterm and term neonates). Implementing the new treatment threshold nationwide would entail an estimated cost reduction of €191,964,324. In conclusion, the new jaundice guidelines significantly decreased the use of phototherapy and associated healthcare costs.
Luca et al. (Tue,) studied this question.