Resources Repository
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ReviewPublication 2014Valuing Vaccination
Vaccination has led to remarkable health gains over the last century. However, large coverage gaps …
Vaccination has led to remarkable health gains over the last century. However, large coverage gaps remain, which will require significant financial resources and political will to address. In recent years, a compelling line of inquiry has established the economic benefits of health, at both the individual and aggregate levels. Most existing economic evaluations of particular health interventions fail to account for this new research, leading to potentially sizable undervaluation of those interventions. In line with…
Preferences/Values | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Costing Methods | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Infectious Diseases | Priority Setting/Ethics | Economics/Finance | Global -
ReviewPublication 2022Significance of Advanced COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing in Pandemic Control Measures
Over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community has mounted significant …
Over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community has mounted significant efforts to combat the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 virus. Despite substantial progress in vaccines and treatments, leading to lower hospitalization and death rates, the virus has continued to evolve, primarily through mutations. From the onset, diagnostic tests have been crucial in identifying and controlling the virus spread. The scientific world has pioneered various diagnostic techniques, including nucleic acid, antigen, and antibody-based…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Infectious Diseases | Science/Technology | North America -
ReviewPublication 2022Diagnostics for COVID-19: Moving from Pandemic Response to Control
Diagnostics are essential in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, with three primary methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 …
Diagnostics are essential in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, with three primary methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infections. Each test type remains vital as we shift from responding to controlling the pandemic. Molecular tests, like PCR, are highly precise in identifying viral RNA and are endorsed by the WHO for confirming cases and guiding public health actions. Antigen rapid tests spot viral proteins and, while less accurate than molecular tests, are quicker, more affordable, simpler, and can…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Infectious Diseases | Science/Technology -
ReviewPublication 2017Quality of Life as an Outcome of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
The recent opioid epidemic has prompted renewed interest in opioid use disorder treatment, but there …
The recent opioid epidemic has prompted renewed interest in opioid use disorder treatment, but there is little evidence regarding health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) outcomes in treatment programs. Measuring HRQoL represents an opportunity to consider outcomes of opioid use disorder treatment that are more patient-centered and more relevant to overall health than abstinence alone. This systematic literature review explores the extent to which the collection of HRQoL by opioid treatment programs is documented in the treatment program literature.…
Evidence Synthesis | Preferences/Values | Health Outcomes | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Social Determinants | Economics/Finance -
ReviewPublication 2021Considerations for Diagnostic COVID-19 Tests
During the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a rush by numerous diagnostic …
During the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a rush by numerous diagnostic test manufacturers to create, validate, and implement testing methods. This review discusses the pivotal role of diagnostic tests during the pandemic's first global wave, highlighting the challenges in technology and implementation experienced early on. The study also offers insights for enhancing the use of diagnostics, especially syndromic ones, should there be future spikes or regional outbreaks of COVID-19. The overarching…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Clinical Care | Infectious Diseases | Science/Technology | North America -
ReviewPublication 2022Rapid, Point-of-Care Antigen Tests for Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
This study reviewed the diagnostic accuracy of rapid, point-of-care antigen tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection, …
This study reviewed the diagnostic accuracy of rapid, point-of-care antigen tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection, differentiating results between symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Using data from 155 study cohorts, the study found that the sensitivity of antigen tests was generally higher for symptomatic individuals, especially during the first week after symptom onset, due to higher viral loads. For example, average sensitivity was higher in symptomatic (73.0%) compared to asymptomatic participants (54.7). Average sensitivity was higher in…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Clinical Care | Infectious Diseases | Science/Technology | North America -
ReviewPublication 2017Patients' Preferences in Cancer Treatment: Review of Discrete Choice Experiments
This study aimed to systematically review discrete choice experiments (DCEs) about patients’ preferences for cancer …
This study aimed to systematically review discrete choice experiments (DCEs) about patients’ preferences for cancer treatment and assessed the relative importance of outcome, process and cost attributes. A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed and EMBASE to identify all DCEs investigating patients’ preferences for cancer treatment between January 2010 and April 2016. Attributes were classified into outcome, process and cost attributes, and their relative importance was assessed. A total of 28 DCEs were identified.…
Preferences/Values | Health Outcomes | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Decision Analysis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Economics/Finance | North America | Europe -
ReviewPublication 2016Cochrane Review: Strategies to Improve the Implementation of Obesity Prevention
Despite the existence of effective interventions and best-practice guideline recommendations for childcare services to implement …
Despite the existence of effective interventions and best-practice guideline recommendations for childcare services to implement policies, practices, and programs to promote child healthy eating, physical activity, and prevent unhealthy weight gain, many services fail to do so. The primary aim of the review was to examine the effectiveness of strategies aimed to improve the implementation of policies, practices, or programs by childcare services that promote child healthy eating, physical activity, and/or obesity prevention. The secondary…
Evidence Synthesis | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Policy/Regulation | Culture/Society | Education/Labor | Global -
ReviewPublication 2016Strengthening Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Public Health Policy
Many important opportunities to improve health lie outside the health sector and involve improving the …
Many important opportunities to improve health lie outside the health sector and involve improving the conditions in which we live and work: safe design and maintenance of roads, bridges, train tracks, and airports; control of environmental pollutants; occupational safety; healthy buildings; a safe and healthy food supply; safe manufacture of consumer products; a healthy social environment; and others. Faced with the overwhelming array of possibilities, U.S. decision makers need help identifying those that can contribute the…
Preferences/Values | Costing Methods | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Priority Setting/Ethics | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Social Determinants | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | Economics/Finance | Food/Agriculture | North America