Postpartum Screening for Type 2 Diabetes in Women With a History of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Singapore

Objectives

In Singapore, diabetes imposes a huge population health and economic burden. Despite that, there is paucity of evidence on the health economics of screening programs for type 2 diabetes, especially in the context of screening after gestational diabetes (GDM). The objective of this study is to assess cost-effectiveness of universal lifelong screening for type 2 diabetes after GDM, which is supported by current guidelines, compared with elective screening where 54% of mothers with GDM undertake one-off screening. Despite the recommendation for universal lifelong screening, only 54% comply with this in the first postpartum year.

Methods

We perform a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing 5 screening strategies, accounting for lifetime costs to the healthcare system and quality of life for Singapore women diagnosed with GDM. In particular, a hybrid decision model, based on a decision tree and Markov models, is implemented to estimate cost and quality-adjusted life-years (QALY). Probabilities, costs, and utilities are obtained from existing literature, governmental databases, the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes birth cohort study, and the National University Hospital.

Results

Compared with elective screening, universal annual screening reduces cost by SG$19.4 million while adding 3.8 thousand QALYs by each annual cohort of pregnant women. Furthermore, annual screening is cost-effective (lower cost and higher QALY) compared with triennial screening. Sensitivity analysis shows that the findings are robust to parameter specifications.

Conclusions

Universal annual screening of women with a history of GDM is cost-effective for reducing diabetes complications compared with strategies with less frequent screening in Singapore.