Postpartum Depression Screening Not Worth the Cost

How much is it worth to ensure that a baby grows up with a healthy and happy mother? Apparently not much, if compared to the cost of screening. A report in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) revealed that  current screening tools for Postpartum Depression (PPD) are not cost-effective, and do not warrant widespread implementation.

The BMJ study examined a hypothetical cohort of women at six weeks postpartum and evaluated the cost-effectiveness of formal screening methods for PPD versus routine care. The screening tool used in the study, the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EDPS), had an incremental cost effectiveness ratio of roughly $67,000 per quality adjusted life year compared with routine care only. The authors conclude that these screening measures do not represent a good value for the money for Britain’s National Health Service (NHS). The lack of cost-effectiveness is due, in large part, to the large number of misdiagnoses and false positives that the screening tools returned.

Based on the findings of the study, the NHS has decided that widespread implementation of formal screening for PPD is not supported by enough clinical or cost data. Because new mothers and their families will not be able to rely on the health care system to provide formal screening, this means that they will have to be especially vigilant to recognize the signs of PPD so that proper treatment may be administered.

The full article goes into detail about why PPD screening tools are not cost-effective. Do you agree that PPD screening should not have to be expected from the national health care system? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.