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Saving Newborn Babies – The Benefits of Interventions in Neonatal Care in Norway over More Than 40 Years

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  • Jostein Grytten
  • Lars Monkerud
  • Irene Skau
  • Anne Eskild
  • Rune J. Sørensen
  • Ola Didrik Saugstad

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effect that the introduction of new medical interventions at birth has had on mortality among newborn babies in Norway during the period 1967–2011. During this period, there has been a significant decline in mortality, in particular for low birth weight infants. We identified four interventions that together explained about 50% of the decline in early neonatal and infant mortality: ventilators, antenatal steroids, surfactant and insure. The analyses were performed on a large set of data, encompassing more than 1.6 million deliveries (Medical Birth Registry of Norway). The richness of the data allowed us to perform several robustness tests. Our study indicates that the introduction of new medical interventions has been a very important channel through which the decline in mortality among newborn babies occurred during the second half of the last century. © 2016 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Jostein Grytten & Lars Monkerud & Irene Skau & Anne Eskild & Rune J. Sørensen & Ola Didrik Saugstad, 2017. "Saving Newborn Babies – The Benefits of Interventions in Neonatal Care in Norway over More Than 40 Years," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(3), pages 352-370, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:26:y:2017:i:3:p:352-370
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.3314
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tamás Hajdu & Gábor Kertesi & Gábor Kézdi & Ágnes Szabó-Morvai, 2020. "The Effects of Expanding a Neonatal Intensive Care System on Infant Mortality and Long-Term Health Impairments," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 2020, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    2. Jonas Minet Kinge & Jostein Grytten, 2021. "The impact of primary care physician density on perinatal health: Evidence from a natural experiment," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(12), pages 2974-2994, December.

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