Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2020Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies
Antibody testing can determine previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus. Recently, the UK government has made …
Antibody testing can determine previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus. Recently, the UK government has made antibody testing available to anyone wanting it, even if there is no clinical indication. The purpose of this article is to provide guidance for when to consider antibody testing in individuals with and without symptoms suggestive of current or past SARS-CoV-2 infection. Key points made by the authors include: (1) antibody testing is likely to be most useful 2 weeks…
Probability/Bayes | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Technology Assessment | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine -
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 | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Technology Assessment | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Global | North America -
ArticlePublication 2020Bayes' Theorem, COVID-19, and Screening Tests
This article reviews the implications of increased testing for COVID-19 using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain …
This article reviews the implications of increased testing for COVID-19 using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) through the application of Bayes’ Theorem for three hypothetical, stylized case scenarios. The scenarios involve three patients with a low, moderate, and high pre-test probability of COVID-19 infection. The category of low probability would include "asymptomatic individuals in a presumed low prevalence environment" and might vary from 10 to 20%. The category of moderate probability would include "individuals…
Probability/Bayes | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine -
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 | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global -
ArticlePublication 2018Equity Impact Vaccines May Have on Averting Deaths and Medical Impoverishment
In this analysis, authors estimated the number of deaths averted and the number of cases …
In this analysis, authors estimated the number of deaths averted and the number of cases of medical impoverishment averted of ten antigens and their corresponding vaccines across income quintiles for forty-one low- and middle-income countries. The study found that vaccines administered between 2016 and 2030 would prevent 36 million deaths. Vaccines will have the greatest impact on reducing cases of poverty caused by hepatitis B, helping an estimated 14 million people avoid medical impoverishment. An…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Global Governance | Infectious Diseases | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Asia & Pacific -
Resource PortalWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2024Millennium Mathematics Project (MMP)
The Millennium Mathematics Project (MMP), a collaboration between the Faculties of Mathematics and Education at the …
The Millennium Mathematics Project (MMP), a collaboration between the Faculties of Mathematics and Education at the University of Cambridge, is a maths education and outreach initiative for ages 3 to 19 and the general public. The focus is on increasing mathematical understanding, confidence and enjoyment, developing problem-solving skills, and promoting creative and imaginative approaches to maths. The project consists of a family of complementary programmes, including the NRICH website, Plus online mathematics magazine, Wild Maths, and…
Probability/Bayes | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | Decision Analysis | Risk Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Environmental Health | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Europe | High School | College | Graphics/Visualization | Quantitative Literacy -
Resource PackWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2017Resource Pack: Valuing Vaccines and GAVI
This resource pack on valuing vaccines and GAVI was curated by the Center for Health …
This resource pack on valuing vaccines and GAVI was curated by the Center for Health Decision Science to showcase existing information and analyses to motivate students, educators and others to pursue new applications of decision science methods to the public health challenge of vaccine preventable illnesses.
Priority Setting/Ethics | Global Governance | Infectious Diseases | Preferences/Values | Costing Methods | Mathematical Models | Dynamic Transmission | Calibration/Validation | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Policy Translation | Quantitative Literacy -
ArticlePublication 2017Policy Makers, the International Community and the Population: Case Study on HIV/AIDS
A four-period game is developed between a policy maker, the international community, and the population. …
A four-period game is developed between a policy maker, the international community, and the population. This research supplements, through implementing strategic interaction, earlier research analyzing "one player at a time." The first two players distribute funds between preventing and treating diseases. The population reacts by degree of risky behavior which may cause no disease, disease contraction, recovery, sickness/death. More funds to prevention implies less disease contraction but higher death rate given disease contraction. The cost…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Global Governance | Infectious Diseases | Decision Psychology | Mathematical Models | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Global -
Resource PortalPublication, Teaching Resource 2017Immunization Financing: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles 26 briefs on topics related to the cost and financing of …
This resource guide compiles 26 briefs on topics related to the cost and financing of national immunization programs in low- and middle-income countries. The guide provides information and analysis to help advocates, policymakers, and program managers assess different financing options, approaches to strategic purchasing, and strategies for policy change, incorporating recent country experience in these areas. The guide is an update to the Immunization Financing Toolkit: A Resource for Policy-Makers and Program Managers, published by…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Global Governance | Infectious Diseases | Costing Methods | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Decision Making/Leadership | Policy Translation | Quantitative Literacy