Using a recently published estimate of hospital costs ($17,645 translated to US$ 2007) of MRSA infection over no infection [6], we can compare the financial benefits of averted infections to the investment costs per infection averted, and estimate the net benefits (figure 6).
Instead, we compare estimated investment costs with financial benefits of averted MRSA infections.
Including financial benefits from averted infections, screening could well be cost saving.
Based upon our simulation model, three important conclusions can be drawn related to MRSA admission screening: (1) Excluding any financial benefits from averted infections, the choice of strategy depends on the setting, the costs of isolation and the hospital's willingness to pay to avert infection.
Proportions and variances of events defining risk (major bleeding) and benefit (thrombosis averted) were obtained through a meta-analysis and used to define beta distributions.
As such programs generally have upfront costs and delayed benefits due to averted disease and death, interventions are undertaken to increase participation, return, and adherence to health recommendations [2].
The important point to note, however, is that an objective economic evaluation that measures and values the resource savings that follow the abortion of the affected fetus or unborn child requires a commensurate measurement and valuation of averted benefits.
In aggregate across all trips, the benefit from the averted exposure to PM2.5 in the underground approximately balanced the harms from increased inhalation of pollutants as a result of the higher ventilation rates associated with cycling.
The increase in health benefits (that is, DALYs averted) between monitoring options reflects differences in mortality, severe morbidity, and the DALYs incurred with these clinical events.
"It's very hard to prove a counterfactual," he told the journalist Jonathan Alter, "where you say, 'You know, things really could have been a lot worse.' " He was speaking of the bank and auto-industry bailouts, but the problem applies more broadly to the stimulus: harm averted is benefit unseen.
