Resources Repository
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Tools/ModelsInteractive, Teaching Resource 2020Interactive Graphic: Interpreting a COVID-19 Test Result
Currently, the most common diagnostic test for COVID-19 relies on reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction …
Currently, the most common diagnostic test for COVID-19 relies on reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and most often uses samples obtained from the respiratory tract by nasopharyngeal swab. This interactive graphic demonstrates the influence of the prior probability of COVID-19, the test sensitivity (i.e., the probability of a positive test conditional on disease presence), and the test specificity (i.e., the probability of a negative test conditional on disease absence) on the post-test probability of…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Probability/Bayes | Clinical Care | Science/Technology | High School | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Graphics/Visualization | Quantitative Literacy -
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…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Probability/Bayes | Science/Technology | Global -
ArticlePublication 2020Translating Population Evidence to Individual Patients
In this paper, the authors describe the differences in population level outcomes compared to individual …
In this paper, the authors describe the differences in population level outcomes compared to individual patients and discuss ways that these are differences. The authors cover topics including the difference between relative and absolute risk and benefit. They use an example of the decision to start anticoagulation in new-onset atrial fibrillation to discuss translating population level evidence to treatment of an individual. These options include generalizability, subgroup analysis, prediction rules, following response to therapy, and even…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Evidence Synthesis | Clinical Care -
ArticlePublication 2019Measuring Progress Towards Universal Health Coverage
This article, published in BMJ Global Health, aims to estimate the 2015 national and subnational …
This article, published in BMJ Global Health, aims to estimate the 2015 national and subnational universal health coverage (UHC) service coverage status for Ethiopia. The UHC service coverage index is constructed from the geometric means of component indicators: first, within each of four major categories and then across all components to obtain the final summary index. The authors estimate UHC service coverage at the subnational level using a variety of surveys and routinely collected administrative…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Sub-Saharan Africa -
Resource PackPublication, Teaching Resource 2019Resource Pack: BCA in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
This resource pack, curated by the Center for Health Decision Science, includes methods papers, case …
This resource pack, curated by the Center for Health Decision Science, includes methods papers, case studies, and reference case guidance for conducting benefit-cost analyses in low- and middle-income countries. These resources will aid advanced students and experienced practitioners in preparing these analyses. Investing in global health and development requires making difficult choices about what initiatives to fund and what level of resources to devote to each initiative. Although benefit-cost analysis is a well-established and widely-used…
Decision Analysis | Health/Medicine | Policy/Regulation | Preferences/Values | Priority Setting/Ethics | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Social Determinants | Economics/Finance | Global | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
Resource PackPublication, Teaching Resource 2024Resource Pack: Introduction to Benefit-Cost Analysis
This resource pack, curated by the Center for Health Decision Science, introduces the theory and …
This resource pack, curated by the Center for Health Decision Science, introduces the theory and practice of benefit-cost analysis. It is targeted towards advanced students as well as practitioners and those interested in teaching benefit-cost analysis. Benefit-cost analysis (also referred to as cost-benefit analysis) is a well-established and widely-used form of economic evaluation. It is designed to inform policy and other decisions by providing evidence on the consequences of alternative interventions. In benefit-cost analysis, all…
Decision Analysis | Health/Medicine | Policy/Regulation | Preferences/Values | Priority Setting/Ethics | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Social Determinants | Climate/Environment | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Global | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
ArticlePublication 2019Assessment of the Feasibility and Cost of Hepatitis C Elimination in Pakistan
This study investigates the feasibility and cost of hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination in Pakistan …
This study investigates the feasibility and cost of hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination in Pakistan using a decision analytical model and microsimulation techniques from 2015 to 2030. Various scenarios, including the status quo and seven elimination strategies, were evaluated based on Pakistan-specific variables. Main outcomes included trends in HCV prevalence, mortality, disability-adjusted life-years, and total costs of HCV care. Results suggest that to achieve HCV elimination by 2030, significant scale-up of testing and treatment is…
Decision Analysis | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Asia & Pacific -
Lesson/ModuleVideo, Teaching Resource 2018Introduction to Effectiveness, Patient Preferences, and Utilities
This video is intended to provide an introduction to the concept of the quality-adjusted life …
This video is intended to provide an introduction to the concept of the quality-adjusted life year or QALY as well as preference measurement. Descriptions of the several techniques that can be used for measuring QALYs in economic evaluations are presented. This video is part of the Conducting Cost-Effectiveness Analysis with VA Data (HCEA) free course offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development group focused on cost-effectiveness analysis and budget…
Decision Analysis | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Preferences/Values | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy -
Lesson/ModuleVideo, Teaching Resource 2018An Overview of Decision Analysis
This video is intended to provide high-level overview of the field of decision analysis and …
This video is intended to provide high-level overview of the field of decision analysis and presents topics that include: why engage in decision analysis; what are the differences between cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and budget impact analysis; and different ways to conduct a decision analysis – such as modeling or measuring alongside a clinical trial. This video is part of the Conducting Cost-Effectiveness Analysis with VA Data (HCEA) free course offered by the…
Decision Analysis | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Quantitative Literacy