Interpretation
Although no significant evidence of a reduction in maternal costs has
been demonstrated, consistent indications of reduced neonatal costs
associated with babies requiring less complex levels of care in the
Stan+CTG arm suggest that this technology warrants further Australian
and international research. As more data become available, it will be
important to undertake meta-analyses, ideally including individual
patient data, as well as updating existing reviews. These reviews will
result in a stronger evidence base that should subsequently be used to
formulate information for women about their options for fetal monitoring
so that they can make informed decisions wherever practical. In the
interim, given our previous findings of similarity in the main outcome
(EmCS) and consistent patterns of cost reduction, we suggest that the
addition of STan to CTG has the potential to be cost effective.