On behalf of the Norwegian Directorate of Health, Oslo Economics has conducted a health economic analysis evaluating candidate screening strategies for gestational diabetes, as part of the directorate’s ongoing work in reviewing national screening guidelines. The analysis is based on registry data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, reports and scientific publications, expert opinion, fee schedules and key figures.
Screening with oral glucose tolerance test may detect gestational diabetes, allowing for follow-up management involving lifestyle interventions and/or medical treatment. These efforts may contribute to reducing complications and unfortunate outcomes associated with gestational diabetes, such as birth weight large for gestational age, cesarean section, preeclampsia, and developing diabetes mellitus type 2 later in life. Avoiding such outcomes reduces health care costs while simultaneously avoiding associated health loss. At the same time, screening, follow-up management and treatment entails costs for women attending screening and follow-up management, for the health care services, and for society. Our analysis suggest that offering screening for the most restrictive target population (i.e., body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25 and age greater than 30 years, in addition to high-risk groups), likely represents the alternative that is most in accordance with national recommendations for priority setting in health care.
The full-text report can be downloaded here.
