Article: Costs of school scoliosis screening: A large, population-based study
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- Publisher Website: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181cbcc10
- Scopus: eid_2-s2.0-78650936470
- PMID: 20531070
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| Title | Costs of school scoliosis screening: A large, population-based study | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authors | Lee, CF1 Fong, DYT1 Cheung, KMC1 Cheng, JCY3 Ng, BKW2 Lam, TP3 Mak, KH Yip, PSF1 Luk, KDK1 | ||||||
| Keywords | adolescent idiopathic scoliosis cost of screening scoliosis screening program | ||||||
| Issue Date | 2010 | ||||||
| Publisher | Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.spinejournal.com | ||||||
| Citation | Spine, 2010, v. 35 n. 26, p. 2266-2272 [How to Cite?] DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181cbcc10 | ||||||
| Abstract | Study Design.: This was a population-based retrospective study. Objective.: To fully estimate the costs of the Hong Kong scoliosis screening program through a large, population-based study. Summary of Background Data.: School screening for scoliosis has often been criticized for having high costs. In fact, the screening cost that has reported varied widely, from less than 1 to more than 30 US dollars (USD) per child screened. This variation is mainly due to the incomplete inclusion of cost items. Methods.: We examined the screening and medical histories of a cohort of 115,190 screened students who were in Grade 5 in 1995/96 or 1996/97. The average costs spent on screening, diagnosing, following, and treating this cohort of students were calculated. Results.: The total expenses in the screening centers increased steadily from USD 380,930 in 1995/96 to USD 2,417,824 in 2005/06. Based on the 115,190 students who were followed up until they were 19 years old or they left school, the costs of screening and diagnosing 1 student during adolescence were USD 17.94 and USD 2.08, respectively. Of the 1311 referrals who attended the specialist hospitals for diagnosis, 264 and 39 had been braced and operated on, respectively. The medical care cost averaged USD 34.61 per student screened. The cost of finding 1 student with a curvature ≥20° and 1 treated case were USD 4475.67 and USD 20,768.29 respectively. Conclusion.: This was the largest study that has evaluated school scoliosis screening on students who were followed during their adolescence and accounted for all relevant costs. The cost per student screened in the scoliosis screening program in Hong Kong was comparable to that in Rochester, which had a similar protocol and was evaluated in a similar manner. The estimated costs can help the policy makers when they allocate healthcare resources. © 2010, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. | ||||||
| ISSN | 0362-2436 2011 Impact Factor: 2.078 2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.137 | ||||||
| DOI | http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181cbcc10 | ||||||
| ISI Accession Number ID | WOS:000285161300018
Funding Information: Supported by the Central Policy Unit of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project number: HKU 7006-PPR-20051). | ||||||
| References | References in Scopus |
| dc.contributor.author | Lee, CF | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dc.contributor.author | Fong, DYT | ||||||
| dc.contributor.author | Cheung, KMC | ||||||
| dc.contributor.author | Cheng, JCY | ||||||
| dc.contributor.author | Ng, BKW | ||||||
| dc.contributor.author | Lam, TP | ||||||
| dc.contributor.author | Mak, KH | ||||||
| dc.contributor.author | Yip, PSF | ||||||
| dc.contributor.author | Luk, KDK | ||||||
| dc.date.accessioned | 2010-12-23T08:38:56Z | ||||||
| dc.date.available | 2010-12-23T08:38:56Z | ||||||
| dc.date.issued | 2010 | ||||||
| dc.description.abstract | Study Design.: This was a population-based retrospective study. Objective.: To fully estimate the costs of the Hong Kong scoliosis screening program through a large, population-based study. Summary of Background Data.: School screening for scoliosis has often been criticized for having high costs. In fact, the screening cost that has reported varied widely, from less than 1 to more than 30 US dollars (USD) per child screened. This variation is mainly due to the incomplete inclusion of cost items. Methods.: We examined the screening and medical histories of a cohort of 115,190 screened students who were in Grade 5 in 1995/96 or 1996/97. The average costs spent on screening, diagnosing, following, and treating this cohort of students were calculated. Results.: The total expenses in the screening centers increased steadily from USD 380,930 in 1995/96 to USD 2,417,824 in 2005/06. Based on the 115,190 students who were followed up until they were 19 years old or they left school, the costs of screening and diagnosing 1 student during adolescence were USD 17.94 and USD 2.08, respectively. Of the 1311 referrals who attended the specialist hospitals for diagnosis, 264 and 39 had been braced and operated on, respectively. The medical care cost averaged USD 34.61 per student screened. The cost of finding 1 student with a curvature ≥20° and 1 treated case were USD 4475.67 and USD 20,768.29 respectively. Conclusion.: This was the largest study that has evaluated school scoliosis screening on students who were followed during their adolescence and accounted for all relevant costs. The cost per student screened in the scoliosis screening program in Hong Kong was comparable to that in Rochester, which had a similar protocol and was evaluated in a similar manner. The estimated costs can help the policy makers when they allocate healthcare resources. © 2010, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. | ||||||
| dc.description.nature | Link_to_subscribed_fulltext | ||||||
| dc.identifier.citation | Spine, 2010, v. 35 n. 26, p. 2266-2272 [How to Cite?] DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181cbcc10 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181cbcc10 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.epage | 2272 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.hkuros | 178303 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.hkuros | 196992 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.isi | WOS:000285161300018
Funding Information: Supported by the Central Policy Unit of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project number: HKU 7006-PPR-20051). | ||||||
| dc.identifier.issn | 0362-2436 2011 Impact Factor: 2.078 2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.137 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.issue | 26 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.openurl | | ||||||
| dc.identifier.pmid | 20531070 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.scopus | eid_2-s2.0-78650936470 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.spage | 2266 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/129549 | ||||||
| dc.identifier.volume | 35 | ||||||
| dc.language | eng | ||||||
| dc.publisher | Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.spinejournal.com | ||||||
| dc.publisher.place | United States | ||||||
| dc.relation.ispartof | Spine | ||||||
| dc.relation.references | References in Scopus | ||||||
| dc.rights | This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Spine, 2010, v. 35 n. 26, p. 2266-2272 | ||||||
| dc.subject | adolescent idiopathic scoliosis | ||||||
| dc.subject | cost of screening | ||||||
| dc.subject | scoliosis screening program | ||||||
| dc.title | Costs of school scoliosis screening: A large, population-based study | ||||||
| dc.type | Article |
Author Affiliations
- The University of Hong Kong
- Prince of Wales Hospital Hong Kong
- Chinese University of Hong Kong