Cost‐Benefit Appraisal of Screening for Congenital Dislocation of the Hip

Abstract

Vibration arthrometry is a new non‐invasive technique which detects, records and analyses vibrations elicited during clinical examination of human joints. In congenital dislocation of the hip, the computer‐based method has been developed to achieve a more objective and earlier diagnosis than is otherwise available. This is a condition of 0.2 per cent incidence with which a child may be born or which can develop shortly after birth. If a diagnosis is achieved soon after birth, the treatment is simple, cheap and effective. However, if the disease is not diagnosed until the child is walking, treatment is complicated and expensive and the child will need lengthy hospitalisation with a poor prognosis. An evaluation was made of three options: existing screening system, higher level screening and use of the Belfast Hip Screener.

Citation

Kernohan, W.G., Trainor, B.P., Mollan, R.A.B. and Normand, C.E.M. (1990), "Cost‐Benefit Appraisal of Screening for Congenital Dislocation of the Hip", Journal of Management in Medicine, Vol. 4 No. 4, pp. 230-235. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb060556