A Comparison of the Investment in Hospital-Based Obstetrical Ultrasound in Wales and Washington State

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the way Britain and the United States invest in and deploy a new medical technology. We used structured interviews to obtain information on the technical sophistication and approximate replacement value of all hospital-based obstetrical ultraso...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of technology assessment in health care 1995, Vol.11 (3), p.571-584
Main Authors: Rosenblatt, Roger A., Dawson, Andrew J., Larson, Eric H., Tressler, Carolyn J., Jones, Anthony, Hart, L. Gary, Nesbitt, Thomas S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Birth Rate
Capital Expenditures - statistics & numerical data
Cost Control
Diffusion of Innovation
Female
General aspects
General Essays
Health and social institutions
Health Facility Size
Hospital Costs
Humans
Investments - statistics & numerical data
Medical sciences
Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital - economics
Pregnancy
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Quality of Health Care
Ultrasonography, Prenatal - economics
Ultrasonography, Prenatal - instrumentation
Wales
Washington
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the way Britain and the United States invest in and deploy a new medical technology. We used structured interviews to obtain information on the technical sophistication and approximate replacement value of all hospital-based obstetrical ultrasound machines in every maternity hospital in Washington state and Wales. The supply of hospital-based ultrasound machines—approximately two machines per 1,000 births—was similar in both countries. Wales had fewer advanced ultrasound machines than Washington state, and they were based exclusively in high-volume district general hospitals; there were no obstetric ultrasound machines in the private sector. In Washington state, the majority of advanced machines were in small and medium-sized hospitals, and many private offices had ultrasound machines. The approximate replacement value of hospital-based machines was three times as high per birth in Washington state as in Wales. In the case of obstetrical ultrasound, centralization of facilities, a relatively small private sector, and global budgeting lead to lower expenditures per patient within the National Health Service without compromising access to care.
ISSN:0266-4623
1471-6348
DOI:10.1017/S0266462300008734