OC17.05: The sFlt‐1/PlGF ratio test for suspected pre‐eclampsia: an economic assessment in the Netherlands

Implementation of the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt-1) to placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio test for accurate prediction of pre-eclampsia (PE) improves clinical management. Shortage of hospital staff and rising healthcare costs have led to increased pressure on the healthcare system. Improving healthcare system efficiency through test implementation could lead to cost savings. In this study, we aim to assess the economic impact of utilising the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio test, in addition to standard of care, in women with suspected PE in a simulated cohort in Maastricht UMC+ in the Dutch healthcare system. A decision tree model was developed to analyse the costs associated with introducing the sFlt-1/PlGF test. A theoretical cohort of 180 pregnant women with suspected PE were exposed to the test scenario, in which the sFlt-1/PlGF test was used in addition to current clinical practice, and to the no-test scenario, in which clinical management was based on current clinical practice. Patient stratification into low-/intermediate- and high-intensity management groups were derived from the PROGNOSIS, a non-interventional study for women with clinical suspicion of PE. Follow-up and hospitalisation length were derived from own retrospective data and costs were obtained from the Dutch Healthcare Authority. A sensitivity analysis tested the model's robustness, focusing on cost savings per patient as the primary outcome. Integration of the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio test in clinical practice is expected to result in €156.241 cost savings for Maastricht UMC+ in one year. This accounts for €868 cost savings per patient and a reduction of 13.41% in costs in the test scenario. Implementation of the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio test, for women with suspicion of PE, is expected to result in cost savings in the Maastricht UMC+ in the Netherlands. This can be explained by improved diagnostic accuracy and reduction of unnecessary hospitalisation.