Medical versus Surgical Abortion Methods for Pregnancy in China: A Cost-Minimization Analysis

Background: Both medical and surgical abortions are popular in developing countries. However, the monetary costs of these two methods have not been compared. Methods: 430 women seeking abortions were recruited in 2008. Either a medical or surgical method was used for the abortion. We adopted the perspective of a third-party payer. Cost-minimization analysis was used based on all charges for the overall procedures in an out-patient clinic in Guangzhou, China. Results: 219 subjects (51%) chose a medical method (mifepristone and misoprostol), whereas 211 subjects (49%) chose a surgical method. The efficacy in the surgical group was significantly higher than in the medical group (100 vs. 90%, p ! 0.001). Surgical abortion incurred much more costs than medical abortion on average after initial treatment. When the subsequent costs were accumulated within the 2-week follow-up, the mean total cost in the medical group increased significantly due to failure of abortion and persistent bleeding. Patients undergoing medical abortion eventually incurred equivalent expenses compared to patients underReceived: October 12, 2010 Accepted after revision: April 10, 2011 Published online: October 13, 2011 Prof. Shouzhang She Department of Anaesthesia, First Municipal Hospital of Guangzhou Affiliated to Guangzhou Medical College , No. 1 Panfu Road Guangzhou 510180 (China) Tel. +86 136 0288 4326, E-Mail rose-xw @ 163.com © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel 0378–7346/11/0724–0257$38.00/0 Accessible online at: www.karger.com/goi D ow nl oa de d by : 54 .7 0. 40 .1 1 11 /2 3/ 20 17 7 :0 8: 44 P M