I’m not sure Make a Wish is a good example given the existence of this study. Quoting Dylan Matthews from Future Perfect on it (emphasis added):
The average wish costs $10,130 to fulfill. Given that Malaria Consortium can save the life of a child under 5 for roughly $2,000 (getting a precise figure is, of course, tough, but it’s around that), you could probably save four or five children’s lives in sub-Saharan Africa for the cost of providing a nice experience for a single child in the US. For the cost of the heartwarming Batkid stunt — $105,000 — you could save the lives of some 50-odd kids.
But now I’m reconsidering. A new study in the journal Pediatric Research, comparing 496 patients at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, who got their wishes granted to 496 “control” patients with similar ages, gender, and diseases, found that the patients who got their wishes granted went to the emergency room less, and were less likely to be readmitted to the hospital (outside of planned readmissions).
In a number of cases, this reduction in hospital admissions and emergency room visits resulted in a cost savings in excess of $10,130, the cost of the average wish. In other words, Make-A-Wish helped, and helped in a cost-effective way.
Thank you for bringing this study to my attention!
My subjective impression, without having spent more than five minutes looking at the paper, is that the findings are unlikely to replicate. (If anyone disagrees, feel free to challenge me to a bet and I commit to either accept or revise my estimates.) Still, this seems enough to show that the study shouldn’t be used as an example, and I have updated my comment to note this.
Agree that it seems unlikely to replicate. It would be interesting to see if e.g. hospitals are now funding Make a Wish on the grounds of it saving them future costs
In a number of cases, this reduction in hospital admissions and emergency room visits resulted in a cost savings in excess of $10,130, the cost of the average wish. In other words, Make-A-Wish helped, and helped in a cost-effective way.
This doesn’t follow. The $10,130 cost savings went into hospital budgets, not into buying bednets, so it doesn’t particularly matter that this money was saved.
Also, it seems implausible that Make-A-Wish could meaningfully reduce hospital admissions, so I’m inclined to disbelieve this study.
I’m not sure Make a Wish is a good example given the existence of this study. Quoting Dylan Matthews from Future Perfect on it (emphasis added):
Thank you for bringing this study to my attention!
My subjective impression, without having spent more than five minutes looking at the paper, is that the findings are unlikely to replicate. (If anyone disagrees, feel free to challenge me to a bet and I commit to either accept or revise my estimates.) Still, this seems enough to show that the study shouldn’t be used as an example, and I have updated my comment to note this.
Agree that it seems unlikely to replicate. It would be interesting to see if e.g. hospitals are now funding Make a Wish on the grounds of it saving them future costs
This doesn’t follow. The $10,130 cost savings went into hospital budgets, not into buying bednets, so it doesn’t particularly matter that this money was saved.
Also, it seems implausible that Make-A-Wish could meaningfully reduce hospital admissions, so I’m inclined to disbelieve this study.