The cost effectiveness of bowel cancer screening in New Zealand: a cost-utility analysis based on pilot results

Sapere was contracted by the Ministry of Health to undertake cost effectiveness analysis of bowel screening in New Zealand, based upon the information generated from a pilot. We conducted microsimulation of a number of screening scenarios, both for the New Zealand population as a whole and for a Māori population. We found bowel screening to be highly cost effective, and in some scenarios actually to be cost saving from a health system perspective.