Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2020Interpreting COVID-19 Test Results: A Bayesian Approach
This article considers the following question with respect to interpreting the results of polymerase chain reaction …
This article considers the following question with respect to interpreting the results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays from nasal and pharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 to inform clinical decision making: "While a positive result in an acutely ill patient is straightforward, how should physicians interpret negative tests in patients with suspected COVID-19 infection?" Using an assumption of near-perfect specificity of PCR assays for COVID-19, the authors acknowledge the uncertainty of test sensitivity. They consider two clinical scenarios…
Infectious Diseases | Probability/Bayes | Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global -
ArticlePublication 2020Incorporating Perspective into Clinical Decisions
Part of a six-part series of articles on clinical decision making, in this article, the …
Part of a six-part series of articles on clinical decision making, in this article, the authors discuss how to incorporate perspective into clinical decisions, explicitly acknowledging that the treating physician is not the only stakeholder in these decisions. The authors use 2 case studies to demonstrate how changes in perspective can alter the clinical decision as well lead to both intended and unintended consequences to the outcomes.
Clinical Care | Preferences/Values | Priority Setting/Ethics | Health Outcomes | Health Systems | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2019Cost-Effectiveness of Community-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions in Australia
This study examined the cost-effectiveness of community-based obesity prevention interventions (CBIs) consisting of strategies to …
This study examined the cost-effectiveness of community-based obesity prevention interventions (CBIs) consisting of strategies to promote healthy eating and physical activity for Australian children aged between 5-18 years. A multiple cohort Markov model that simulates diseases associated with overweight and obesity was used to estimate the health benefits, measured as health-adjusted life years (HALYs) and healthcare-related cost offsets from diseases averted due to exposure to the intervention. Health and cost outcomes were estimated over the…
Clinical Care | Health Outcomes | State-Transition | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | Oceania -
ArticlePublication 2020Weighing Evidence to Inform Clinical Decisions
The authors use a clinical example to simulate how treatment discussions can be complicated when new evidence is introduced …
The authors use a clinical example to simulate how treatment discussions can be complicated when new evidence is introduced that conflicts with existing guidelines. Even when evidence is consistent, the authors point out that current guidelines can have interpretations that don't agree with available evidence. They develop a step-wise algorithm to help guide individual clinical decisions even in the absence of general consensus related to appropriate testing and treatment.
Clinical Care | Priority Setting/Ethics | Evidence Synthesis | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2020Clinical Decision Making: Using a Diagnostic Test
This article is part of a 6-part series on clinical decision making. The authors use …
This article is part of a 6-part series on clinical decision making. The authors use two clinical examples to review the principles of interpreting diagnostic test results. They outline an approach that can be used to determine how to select and apply tests and their results to the practice of internal medicine. Topics covered in the two case studies include sensitivity and specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive value of tests, and how to estimate…
Clinical Care | Probability/Bayes | Test Performance | Health/Medicine -
DataWeb Portal 2024Global Health Observatory Data Portal
This data portal is the World Health Organization's (WHO) main health statistics repository. The Global …
This data portal is the World Health Organization's (WHO) main health statistics repository. The Global Health Observatory (GHO) provides access to more than 1,000 indicators on priority health topics including mortality and burden of diseases, the Sustainable Development Goals, noncommunicable diseases and risk factors, epidemic-prone diseases, health systems, environmental health, violence and injuries, and health equity. In addition, the GHO provides access to WHO's analytical reports on the current status and trends of priority health…
Infectious Diseases | Evidence Synthesis | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Injuries/Accidents | Health Systems | Global Governance | Health/Medicine | Global -
ArticlePublication 2019Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations of Vaccination Strategies Against Tuberculosis
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only licensed vaccine for tuberculosis, but its effectiveness is limited …
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only licensed vaccine for tuberculosis, but its effectiveness is limited and varies by age, so a valid cost-effectiveness study is needed to assist decision-makers in the implementation of cost-effective strategies for BCG vaccination. Using the Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) instrument, the authors assessed the quality of published studies involving economic evaluations of BCG vaccination strategies in a variety of regions, target populations, and vaccine types. Most of the…
Infectious Diseases | Evidence Synthesis | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Global -
ReviewPublication 2018Equity Considerations in CEA: Rotavirus Vaccine in LMIC's
The authors used a systematic review of the literature to identify economic evaluations of rotavirus …
The authors used a systematic review of the literature to identify economic evaluations of rotavirus vaccine in LMICs and assess the extent to which equity was considered in the objectives, analysis, and results. They used equity-related indicators provided in the Guidance on Priority Setting in Health Care (GPS-Health) checklist criteria resulting in 18 unique indicators tracked. The authors found that some articles incorporated the indicators in their model inputs (20%) while the majority (80%) presented…
Infectious Diseases | Evidence Synthesis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Social Determinants | Health/Medicine | Global -
ReportPublication 2010Priorities for the National Vaccine Plan
The authors examine the complexities of the vaccine enterprise, a fundamental component of preventive medicine …
The authors examine the complexities of the vaccine enterprise, a fundamental component of preventive medicine and public health, from research and development of new vaccines to financing and reimbursement of immunization services. The current climate, socially, economically and politically, presents challenges and opportunities to the U.S. to strengthen the existing systems of developing, manufacturing, regulating, distributing, funding, and administering safe and effective vaccines for all people. The authors present recommendations for priority actions intended to…
Infectious Diseases | Evidence Synthesis | Technology Assessment | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | North America