FRIDAY, Sept. 9, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Water immersion during labor and birth is associated with an average extra cost of $221.12 (2014 Canadian dollars) for each laboring woman, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
Thomas G. Poder, Ph.D., from UETMIS and CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS in Sherbrooke, Canada, simulated the additional cost of water immersion for hospitals. Data were obtained from systematic reviews already published. Microsimulations of representative laboring women were used in a decision tree. Sensitivity analyses relating to analgesic use and duration of labor was performed.
The researcher found that for each laboring woman, microsimulations indicated an extra cost of $166.41 to $274.76 (2014 Canadian dollars) depending on the scenario considered. The average additional cost was $221.12.
"While water immersion allows better clinical outcomes, implementation and other costs are higher than the savings generated, which leads to a small extra cost to allow women to potentially have more relaxation and less pain," Poder writes.
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