OBJECTIVES: The aim of the analysis was to evaluate the impact of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) on Polish healthcare providers’ budgets and resources and, subsequently, to investigate if using carbetocin to prevent PPH due to uterine atony following vaginal delivery would benefit hospitals.

METHODS: Real-world data on costs and resource use was retrospectively collected in three large Polish medical centers. Data were generated from anonymized patients’ clinical records of who underwent vaginal delivery without PPH, or with subsequent heavy or other than heavy PPH.

RESULTS: The results are based on the analysis of the medical records from 155 women (3 subpopulations: without PPH, with heavy or other than heavy PPH). The meaningful impact of the PPH occurrence on the hospital resource use was observed: a woman experiencing PPH (heavy/other than heavy) required 77% to 154% longer medical staff care and on average 63 to 66 hours longer hospital stay than a woman without PPH. The total impact of PPH (heavy/other than heavy) on hospital expenses reached the amount of EUR 1,251 to EUR 1,754 per patient. The comparison of the average hospital expenditure per patient in each subpopulation with the average refund paid by the Polish National Health Fund revealed, that the refund constituted only a part of hospital costs, especially when PPH occurs. Considering demonstrated effectiveness and safety of carbetocin (Gallos et. al. 2018), its prophylactic use instead of oxytocin in 1,000 women undergoing vaginal delivery is associated with avoidance of 35 postpartum hemorrhages, generating approximately EUR 31,200 savings from the Polish healthcare providers’ perspective.

CONCLUSIONS: Widespread use of effective PPH prevention by Carbetocin, can potentially have a positive impact on saving hospital resources (personnel and budget) in Poland.