How much does a liter of donor human milk cost? Cost analysis of operating a human milk bank in Italy

International Breastfeeding Journal

Research

Giovanni Paride Verardi¹  Cristina Gentili¹  Maria Clemente²  Guglielmo Salvatori³  Patrizia Amadio³  Andrea Dotta³  Domenico Umberto De Rose³  Maria Paola Reposi³  Pietro Bagolan⁴ 

[1] Finance Control, Internal Control, “Bambino Gesù” Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy;Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Human Milk Bank, Department of Life and Reproductive Sciences, Verona Hospital, Verona, Italy;Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Human Milk Bank, Medical and Surgical Department of Fetus - Newborn – Infant, “Bambino Gesù” Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy;Neonatal Surgery Unit, Medical and Surgical Department of Fetus - Newborn – Infant, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital IRCCS, Rome, Italy;

关键词: Newborn;    Human milk bank;    Donor human milk;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13006-022-00530-4

 received in 2021-11-12, accepted in 2022-12-09,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundTo date, 40 Human Milk Banks (HMB) have been established in Italy; however, recent cost analysis data for operating an HMB in Italy are not available in the literature.MethodsThis study was a cross-sectional study performed at “Bambino Gesù” Children’s Hospital in Rome, Italy in 2019. We assessed the one-year operational costs and, the per liter unit costs at our HMB.ResultsDuring the 2019 year we collected 771 l of human milk supplied by 128 donors. The total cost was € 178,287.00 and the average cost was € 231.00 per liter. € 188,716.00 would have been spent had the maximum capacity for 904 l been reached. We found a significant difference (€ 231.00 vs € 209.00 per liter, p = 0.016) comparing the cost for collected liters in the year 2019 and the cost for the maximum capacity of the bank for that year of activity. Analyzing each cost item that determines the charge of donor human milk (DHM), the highest costs are the salaries of medical and paramedical staff, and then the costs related to transporting. If the HMB works at maximum capacity and manages a greater number of liters of milk, this can represent an important saving. Conversely, the price of consumables is modest (i.e., the price of a single-use kit for breast pumps was € 0.22 per unit).ConclusionThe costs for a liter of DHM are quite high, but they must be related to the benefits, especially for preterm infants. Comparing the cost for collected liters in 2019 and the costs for the 2019 maximum capacity of the HMB, we calculated how much fixed costs of collection and distribution of DHM can be reduced, by increasing the volume of milk collected. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first complete cost analysis for an Italian Milk Bank. A thorough analysis could help to abate fixed costs and reduce the cost of a liter of DHM. The centralization of DHM can allow savings, rather than creating small HMBs scattered throughout the territory that would operate with lower milk volumes.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022