Cost-effectiveness of preventative care for perinatal anxiety and associated disorders: A rapid review

Objectives: Perinatal mental health (PMH) problems affect one in five
women and cost the United Kingdom (UK) £8.1 billion for every year of
births, with 72% of this cost due to the long-term impact on the child. We
conducted a rapid review of health economic evaluations of preventative
care for perinatal anxiety and associated disorders. Design: This
study adopted a rapid review approach, using principles of the standard
systematic review process to generate quality evidence. This methodology
features a systematic database search, PRISMA diagram, screening of
evidence, data extraction, critical appraisal, and narrative synthesis.
Data Sources: PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied
Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library, Applied Social Sciences
Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), PsycINFO and MEDLINE. Eligibility criteria
for selecting studies: Studies that evaluated the costs and
cost-effectiveness of preventative care for perinatal anxiety and
associated disorders carried out within the National Health Service (NHS)
and similar healthcare systems. Data extraction and synthesis: A minimum
of two independent reviewers used standardised methods to search, screen,
critically appraise and synthesise included studies. Results: The
results indicate a lack of economic evaluation specifically for perinatal
anxiety, with most studies focussing on postnatal depression (PND).
Interventions to prevent postnatal mental health problems are
cost-effective. Modelling studies have also been conducted, which suggest
that treating PND with counselling would be cost-effective. Conclusion:
The costs of not intervening in maternal mental health outweigh the costs
of preventative interventions. Preventative measures such as screening and
counselling for maternal mental health are shown to be cost-effective
interventions to improve outcomes for women and children. PROSPERO
registration number: CRD42022347859