AU - Ahmadzadeh, Nahal AU - Rezapoor, Aziz AU - Ghanavatinejad, Zahra AU - Nouhi, Mojtaba AU - Karimi, Somayeh AU - Saravani, Alireza AU - Nasre Tahooneh, Ahmadreza AU - Jahangiri, Reza TI - Estimation of economic burden of preterm and premature births in Iran PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE TA - MJIRI JN - MJIRI VO - 31 VI - 1 IP - 1 4099 - http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/article-1-4069-en.html 4100 - http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/article-1-4069-en.pdf SO - MJIRI 1 ABĀ  - Background: Tremendous difficulties are imposed on families with preterm and premature babies, both at birth and during their lifetime. The present study aimed at evaluating the potential economic impact of preterm and premature birth in Iran. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study (2014-2015), we studied preterm and premature newborns, who have been subjected to hospitalization in Ali-Asghar hospital. We followed social perspective to estimate the economic consequences of preterm and premature birth in 3 categories of direct medical, direct non-medical, and indirect costs. Required data were collected from documents in the NICU, and studying medical records, and interviewing their parents. Data were analyzed by Microsoft Excel. Results: Direct medical, direct non-medical and indirect affairs were 84%, 6%, and 10% of the total cost, respectively. The estimated social costs were 373, 529, 189; 508, 774, 181; and 529, 481, 996 US dollars (according to their corresponding incidence of 5.8%, 7.9%, and 9.9%). We also found that 75% of the direct medical costs of initial hospitalization were due to intensive care beds. Conclusion: The economic burden of preterm and premature birth in Iran is considerable and to decrease the costs, it is necessary to implement preventive programs for preterm and premature newborns and to provide management care and support for families dealing with this problem. CP - IRAN IN - Health Management and Economics Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. LG - eng PB - MJIRI PG - 451 PT - Original Research YR - 2017