Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2021Rational Policymaking during a Pandemic
Policymaking during a pandemic can be extremely challenging. As COVID-19 is a new disease and …
Policymaking during a pandemic can be extremely challenging. As COVID-19 is a new disease and its global impacts are unprecedented, decisions are taken in a highly uncertain, complex, and rapidly changing environment. In such a context, in which human lives and the economy are at stake, the authors argue that using ideas and constructs from modern decision theory, even informally, will make policymaking a more responsible and transparent process.
Priority Setting/Ethics | Decision Theory | Global | Infectious Diseases | Policy/Regulation | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
Resource PortalWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2021Disease Control Priorities (DCP3)
DCP3 includes a comprehensive review of the efficacy, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of priority health interventions …
DCP3 includes a comprehensive review of the efficacy, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of priority health interventions with the goal of influencing program design and resource allocation at global and country levels. DCP3 includes nine individual volumes, with the first eight structured around packages of conceptually related interventions, and the ninth providing an overview of main findings. Publicly available resources include journal articles and reports, both DCP3 and non-DCP3 related, as well as presentations, working papers, and book…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Global | Injuries/Accidents | Infectious Diseases | Costing Methods | Evidence Synthesis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | High School | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Policy Translation -
Resource PortalWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2024National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, founded in 1863, has a mission to provide …
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, founded in 1863, has a mission to provide nonpartisan, objective guidance for decision makers on policy challenges in the context of science, engineering, and medicine. NAS reports and convening activities have a wide range of impacts on policy and practice. They guide the development of federal laws and regulations, improve the effectiveness of government programs, shape the direction of research fields, and inform public knowledge and dialogue about…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Global | Injuries/Accidents | Infectious Diseases | Health Outcomes | Evidence Synthesis | Risk Analysis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Technology Assessment | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Global Governance | Climate/Environment | Energy/Engineering | Education/Labor | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | Military/Defense | Science/Technology | North America | High School | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Policy Translation -
ArticlePublication 2020Distributional Impact of Supplementary Immunization Activities: Measles
Although evidence shows that inequalities in under-5 mortality in low- and middle-income countries are decreasing, …
Although evidence shows that inequalities in under-5 mortality in low- and middle-income countries are decreasing, disparities persist and highlight the need to prioritize inequality reduction and equity in decision-making at the global and national levels. This article studied the differential coverage impact of routine delivery versus supplementary immunization activities (e.g., campaigns) for the delivery of measles vaccine in defining and comparing an equity impact number across the two distinct vaccine delivery modes. The analysis can…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Global | Infectious Diseases -
ArticlePublication 2022Vaccinations versus Lockdowns to Prevent COVID-19 Mortality
This analysis estimated the costs associated with preventing Covid-19 deaths by vaccinations versus lockdowns. Publicly …
This analysis estimated the costs associated with preventing Covid-19 deaths by vaccinations versus lockdowns. Publicly available datasets from the Israeli Ministry of Health were used to model the parameters of the pandemic in Israel. The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker was used for quantitative data on government policies. Data on the Israeli economy were taken from the Central Bureau of Statistics. The models demonstrate that the first lockdown prevented 1022 COVID-19 deaths at the cost…
Decision Theory | Middle East & North Africa | Infectious Diseases | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | State-Transition | Decision Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2022COVID-19 Response: The Need for Economic Evaluation
COVID-19-related policies are fraught with trade-offs. Many of these trade-offs involve dimensions that can be …
COVID-19-related policies are fraught with trade-offs. Many of these trade-offs involve dimensions that can be quantitatively weighed using economic evaluation, such as those between health and cost outcomes. Other types of dimensions, such as those involving equity or autonomy, can be harder to quantify but should be considered in a comprehensive health policy decision-making context nonetheless. The authors of this New England Journal of Medicine Perspectives article outline how methods of economic evaluation and decision…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Global | Infectious Diseases | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | North America -
EditorialPublication 2020Waiting for Certainty on COVID-19 Antibody Tests — At What Cost?
This perspective anticipates the availability of serologic antibody testing and considers its potential usefulness in mitigation …
This perspective anticipates the availability of serologic antibody testing and considers its potential usefulness in mitigation policy to reduce COVID-19 transmission. For example: Could we screen for serologic antibodies as a proxy for possible immunity and identify people who could return to the workplace with less severe mitigation measures? The authors acknowledge the uncertainties raised by many policy actors, including the WHO, such as, "Do antibodies confer immunity and, if so, for how long? How accurate is…
Probability/Bayes | Global | Infectious Diseases | Test Performance | Technology Assessment | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America -
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…
Probability/Bayes | Global | Infectious Diseases | Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
ArticlePublication 2018Poverty Reduction & Equity Benefits of Measles, Rotavirus and Pneumococcal Vaccines in LMICs
This study uses the extended cost effectiveness analysis (ECEA) to evaluate the impact of immunization …
This study uses the extended cost effectiveness analysis (ECEA) to evaluate the impact of immunization against measles, severe pneumococcal disease and severe rotavirus for birth cohorts vaccinated over 2016–2030 for three scenarios in 41 Gavi-eligible countries: no immunization, current immunization coverage forecasts and the current immunization coverage enhanced with funding support. Following the distribution of the cases by socioeconomic group, the study found that the number of catastrophic health costs (CHC) cases attributable to measles,…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Global | Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Health/Medicine