Healthcare use and costs of perinatal anxiety: a UK NHS perspective

Background
Perinatal anxiety is a significant public health issue with potential adverse outcomes for both mothers and their babies. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the costs associated with health service use for women with and without perinatal anxiety in the UK National Health Service (NHS) at six and twelve months postpartum. This research is part of the MAP Alliance Study - a large programme of research on perinatal anxiety.

Methods
A cost of illness (COI) analysis was performed using a retrospective approach in which recorded data of self-reported health resource use was analysed. The COI analysis identified the different components of costs and the size of the contribution of each health resource and quantified the direct costs incurred by the NHS due to perinatal anxiety.

Results
Results found that women experiencing perinatal anxiety use healthcare services more frequently and incur higher healthcare costs compared to those without. At six months postpartum, the mean total healthcare cost per woman with perinatal anxiety was £1174 (95% CI: 1080.67, 1263.05) compared with £1046 (95% CI: 975.16, 1123.83) for women without. At twelve months postpartum, the mean total healthcare cost per woman with perinatal anxiety was £414 (95% CI: 347.76, 488.87) compared with £267 (95% CI: 226.06, 314.81) for women without. However, this cost difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (-£14; 95% CI: -161.88, 135.65, p = 0.808).

Conclusion
These findings underscore the economic impact of perinatal anxiety on healthcare systems and highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve care pathways for affected women. The results of this analysis have significant implications for public health policy, emphasising the importance of optimising perinatal mental health care pathways to reduce long-term costs and improve outcomes for women.