The Economics of Group Antenatal Care: A Systematic Review and Narrative Analysis.

INTRODUCTION

Group antenatal care (GANC) is an alternative to traditional individual antenatal care (IANC), which combines health assessment, interactive learning, and community building in group sessions. GANC has been associated with positive health outcomes. To scale up GANC, more evidence is needed on the financial implications of its initial implementation and (long-term) cost-effectiveness. This study aims to review and synthesise the available evidence on the economics of GANC.

METHODS

We searched for observational and experimental studies assessing the cost aspects of implementing and running GANC with or without comparison with IANC.

INFORMATION SOURCES: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Ovid Emcare up to 22 August 2024 using keywords and controlled vocabulary without restriction by year of publication.

QUALITY ASSESSMENT: CASP Economic Evaluation Checklist.

DATA SYNTHESIS: Narrative synthesis.

RESULTS

A limited number of studies (n = 9) addressing the costs and/or benefits of GANC were eligible to be included in the review. These studies varied considerably in setting, design, quality, type of cost data, cost categories included and perspective used.

CONCLUSION

Evidence on the costs of GANC is sparse. Future studies of the lifetime costs and health outcomes of GANC compared with IANC are needed to gain insight into the cost implications and cost-effectiveness of GANC and to scale up its implementation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO 2023 CRD42023454379.