Randomised clinical trials in perinatal health care: a cost-effective investment
As health care costs rise, cost-effective alternatives to unevaluated interventions with uncertain effectiveness are needed. In clinical research, return on investment compares the value of improvements in health and cost savings to society achieved by clinical trials with the amount invested to fund them.1 Research into return on research investment in Australia,2 the United States,1 and the United Kingdom3 has assessed health gains across a range of medical specialties from the perspective of research funders rather than the health services; Dutch researchers have examined the return on investment of obstetric trials, emphasising the effect of cost savings in promoting change in clinical practice.4
We applied the methods of the Dutch researchers to exploring the health outcomes and costs of treatment interventions in maternal and perinatal health that have been evaluated in randomised clinical trials (RCTs), and calculated the potential cost savings and improved patient outcomes achievable by implementing efficacious treatment interventions.