An economic evaluation of a school-based sexually transmitted disease screening program
Wang, L.Yan.; Burstein, G.R.; Cohen, D.A.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases 29(12): 737-745
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0148-5717 PMID: 12466713 DOI: 10.1097/00007435-200212000-00001Document Number: 244888
Background: A school-based sexually transmitted disease (STD) screening program was implemented in eight New Orleans public high schools to detect chlamydia and gonorrhea. Goal: The goal was to assess the incremental cost-effectiveness of replacing non-school-based screening with the school-based screening program. Study Design: A decision-analysis model was constructed to compare costs and cases of expected pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in the school-based screening scenario versus a non-school-based screening scenario. Cost-effectiveness was quantified and measured as cost per case of PID prevented. Results: Under base-case assumptions, at an intervention cost of dollar sign86,449, the school screening program prevented an estimated 38 cases of PID, as well as dollar sign119,866 in treatment costs for PID and its sequelae, resulting in savings of dollar sign1524 per case of PID prevented. Results remained cost-saving over a reasonable range of model parameter estimates. Conclusions: The New Orleans school-based chlamydia screening program was cost-effective and cost-saving and could be cost-effective in other settings. School-based screening programs of this type are likely to be a cost-effective use of public funds and can reduce the burden of STDs among adolescents.