Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2017Using Data-Driven Agent-Based Models to Forecast Emerging Infectious Diseases
This paper describes an agent-based model framework developed to forecast the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, which …
This paper describes an agent-based model framework developed to forecast the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, which was subsequently used in the Ebola forecasting challenge. Producing timely and reliable forecasts for an epidemic of an emerging infectious disease is a challenge. Epidemiologists and policy makers have to deal with poor data quality, limited understanding of the disease dynamics, a rapidly changing social environment and the uncertainty around the effects of various interventions in place. In this setting,…
Microsimulation | Infectious Diseases | Calibration/Validation | Dynamic Simulation | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2016Cost-Effectiveness of Diagnosing HIV Infection During Early Infancy in South Africa
In this study the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of four different early infant HIV diagnosis …
In this study the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of four different early infant HIV diagnosis (EID) testing strategies for HIV-exposed infants in South Africa were compared using a microsimulation model. The strategies included (1) no EID (diagnosis only after illness), (2) and (3) testing once (at birth alone or at 6 weeks of age alone), and (4) testing twice (at birth and 6 weeks of age). Findings showed that the testing at birth alone strategy…
Microsimulation | Infectious Diseases | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ReportPublication 2016Modeling to Inform Strategies to Improve Population Health
This workshop report summarizes a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine to explore the potential …
This workshop report summarizes a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine to explore the potential uses of simulation and other types of modeling for improving health. Participants worked to identify how modeling could inform population health decision making (selecting and refining potential strategies, ranging from interventions to investments) based on lessons learned from models that have been, or have not been, used successfully, opportunities and barriers to incorporating models into decision making, and data needs and…
Microsimulation | Health Systems | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Dynamic Simulation | Decision Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Business/Industry | Climate/Environment | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2016Prevention of Hepatitis C by Screening and Treatment in U.S. Prisons
This study assesses the health and economic impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening and …
This study assesses the health and economic impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening and treatment in U.S. prisons on the broader HCV epidemic. Employing an agent-based microsimulation model of HCV transmission and disease progression, data from published literature inform the analysis. The target populations include individuals in U.S. prisons and the general community over a 30-year timeframe, adopting a societal perspective. Interventions encompass risk-based and universal opt-out HCV screening in prisons, followed by treatment…
Microsimulation | Infectious Diseases | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health/Medicine | North America -
ReviewPublication 2016Choosing an Epidemiological Model Structure for Economic Evaluation
This review presents a taxonomy of epidemiological model structures and applies it to the economic …
This review presents a taxonomy of epidemiological model structures and applies it to the economic evaluation of public health interventions for non-communicable diseases. Growing pressures on health services and on social care have led to a greater need for prevention of chronic diseases. In order for decision makers to make informed judgements about how to best spend finite public health resources, they must be able to quantify the anticipated costs, benefits, and opportunity costs of…
Microsimulation | Health Systems | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Dynamic Transmission | Dynamic Simulation | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Environmental Health | Climate/Environment | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine -
ReviewPublication 2016Decision Support for Infectious Disease Control
This report from RAND reviews decision-support tools, including models and nonmodeling approaches, that are relevant to …
This report from RAND reviews decision-support tools, including models and nonmodeling approaches, that are relevant to infectious disease prevention, detection, and response and aligns these tools with real-world policy questions that the tools can help address. This overview is designed to help modelers and other technical experts understand the questions that policymakers will raise and the decisions they must make. The report also presents policymakers with the capabilities and limitations of the different tools that may…
Microsimulation | Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Dynamic Transmission | Dynamic Simulation | Global Governance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Military/Defense | Global -
ArticlePublication 2015Cost-Effectiveness of First-Line Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV-Infected African Children Less Than 3 Years of Age
This article compares the cost-effectiveness of different strategies of first-line antiretroviral therapy (no ART, first-line nevirapine …
This article compares the cost-effectiveness of different strategies of first-line antiretroviral therapy (no ART, first-line nevirapine with second-line lopinavir/ritonavir, and first-line lopinavir/ritonavir with second-line nevirapine) for HIV-infected children less than 3 years of age in Africa, using the Cost-Effectiveness of Preventing AIDS Complications- Pediatric model and data obtained from the International Maternal, Pediatric, and Adolescent Clinical Trial P1060 trial. Results demonstrated that both ART regimens were very cost-effective compared to no ART. First-line lopinavir/ritonavir led to longer…
Microsimulation | Infectious Diseases | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2015A Conceptual Model for Breast, Cervical, and Colorectal Cancer Screening
General frameworks of the cancer screening process are available, but none directly compare the process …
General frameworks of the cancer screening process are available, but none directly compare the process in detail across different organ sites. This limits the ability of medical and public health professionals to develop and evaluate coordinated screening programs that apply resources and population management strategies available for one cancer site to other sites. This paper presents a conceptual model that incorporates a single screening episode for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers into a unified framework based…
Microsimulation | Health Systems | Preferences/Values | Health Outcomes | Evidence Synthesis | Test Performance | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | North America -
ArticlePublication 2015Cost-Effectiveness & Budget Impact of Hepatitis C Virus Treatment with Sofosbuvir & Ledipasvir in the U.S.
This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir for treating chronic …
This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir for treating chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection compared to the old standard of care (oSOC). Using a microsimulation model based on HCV natural history, data from published literature, and a third-party payer perspective, the analysis considers treatment-naive and treatment-experienced HCV populations in the United States over a lifetime horizon. Sofosbuvir-based therapies are found to add 0.56 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) relative to oSOC,…
Microsimulation | Infectious Diseases | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health/Medicine | North America