Economic evaluation of cystic fibrosis screening: A Review of the literature, CHERE Working Paper 2006/6

Objectives: To critically examine the economic evidence on Cystic Fibrosis (CF) screening and to understand issues relating to the transferability of findings to the Australian context for policy decisions. Methods: A systematic literature search identified 25 economic studies with empirical results on CF published between 1990 and 2005. These articles were then assessed against international benchmarks on conducting and reporting of economic evaluations, focusing on the transferability of the evidence to the local setting. Results: Six studies described only costs, 12 were cost-effectiveness studies, 6 were cost-benefit studies and one had a combined design (cost utility, cost benefit and cost effectiveness). Most of the cost-effectiveness studies compared screening versus ?no-screening? but the screening programs under consideration differed markedly. Four considered neonatal screening, three prenatal screening, three pre-conception and carrier screening, and one considered all types of screening programs. The outcome measures also varied considerably between studies. One study included a quality adjusted life year measure. Cost?benefit measures mostly included economic savings ? evaded lifetime medical costs of avoiding CF child birth. Conclusion: The variability in study design, model inputs and reporting of economic evaluations of CF carrier screening raises issues on the applicability and transferability of such evidence to the Australian context.