Preterm birth linked to workplace productivity loss, disability claims, indirect costs

Key takeaways:

• Preterm birth was linked to more lost workdays and costs due to absenteeism and disability in the first year.
• Very preterm birth had increased indirect costs in aggregate workplace productivity loss.

Preterm birth was associated with medical-related work absenteeism, disability claims and indirect costs in the first postpartum year compared with full-term birth, according to study results published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

“To date, we found no research assessing the relationship among preterm birth, workplace productivity loss and the associated indirect costs,” Vanessa Perez Patel, MS, PhD, employee at Organon, and colleagues wrote. “Thus, this is the first study to estimate workplace productivity loss and indirect costs associated with preterm birth in the United States in the year after birth to further our understanding of the individual-level burden associated with this adverse pregnancy outcome.”

Using data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database and the Health and Productivity Management database, Patel and colleagues conducted a noninterventional retrospective, observational cohort study of individuals aged 18 to 55 years with an inpatient hospital delivery from 2016 to September 2021. Researchers compared workdays lost and costs attributable to medical-related absenteeism, disability and aggregate workplace productivity loss between propensity-score-matched preterm birth and full-term birth cohorts. Researchers also estimated indirect costs assumed during an 8-hour workday.

After propensity score matching, 37,522 individuals were had medical-related absenteeism, 1,028 for workplace absenteeism, 7,880 for disability and 396 for aggregate workplace productivity loss.

Compared with full-term birth, preterm birth was associated with 4.2 more lost workdays and $1,045 more costs per person in the first postpartum year that were attributable to medical-related absenteeism (P < .001). In addition, preterm birth was also associated with 2.8 more lost workdays and $422 more costs per person in the first postpartum year that were attributable to disability compared with full-term birth (P < .001).

Preterm birth was not associated with more lost workdays and costs attributable to workplace absenteeism or aggregate workplace productivity loss.

Researchers noted that the differences in medical-related absenteeism and disability were greater and inversely related to gestational age at birth. Researchers also observed an indirect cost difference in aggregate workplace productivity loss with very preterm birth, before 32 weeks gestation.

“This study provides scientific evidence to further our understanding of the burden associated with preterm birth and emphasize the need to prioritize pregnancy health in the United States,” the researchers wrote.