Resources Repository
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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…
Infectious Diseases | Probability/Bayes | Test Performance | 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…
Infectious Diseases | Probability/Bayes | Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global -
ArticlePublication 2017Catastrophic Costs Potentially Averted by TB Control in India and South Africa
This study estimated the reduction in tuberculosis-related catastrophic costs with an aggressive expansion of tuberculosis …
This study estimated the reduction in tuberculosis-related catastrophic costs with an aggressive expansion of tuberculosis services in India and South Africa from 2016 to 2035, in line with the End TB Strategy. The authors investigated three intervention scenarios: improved treatment of drug-sensitive tuberculosis; improved treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; and expansion of access to tuberculosis care through intensified case finding (South Africa only). In India and South Africa, improvements in treatment for drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis…
Mathematical Models | Infectious Diseases | Priority Setting/Ethics | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Asia & Pacific -
ArticlePublication 2019Health and Financial Benefits of Averting Malaria in Zambia: An ECEA
This study used the extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) to examine impact of the hypothetical rollout …
This study used the extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) to examine impact of the hypothetical rollout of the malaria vaccine RTS,S/AS01 in Zambia on the health benefits of children under five, and financial benefits on their households. The authors assumed a three-dose vaccination schedule (over 6-9 months), and vaccine cost of US$5 per dose. To assess vaccine impact, for each income quintile, they computed the number of under-five malaria deaths prevented, the household out-of-pocket (OOP) malaria-related…
Mathematical Models | Infectious Diseases | Priority Setting/Ethics | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
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,…
Mathematical Models | Infectious Diseases | Priority Setting/Ethics | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Health/Medicine | Global -
ArticlePublication 2019Spatial Distribution and Characteristics of HIV
This article, published in Tropical Medicine & International Health, aims to identify the spatial and …
This article, published in Tropical Medicine & International Health, aims to identify the spatial and temporal trends, and epidemiologic correlates, of HIV clusters in Ethiopia. The authors use biomarker and survey data from the 2005, 2011, and 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and the spatial-temporal distribution of HIV is estimated using the Kulldorff spatial scan statistic, a likelihood-based method for determining clustering. The study results indicate that in Ethiopia, geographic HIV clusters are…
Mathematical Models | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2019Cost-Effectiveness of Latent TB Screening before Immigration to Low-Incidence Countries
Despite prospective migrants to countries where the incidence of TB is low receiving TB screening …
Despite prospective migrants to countries where the incidence of TB is low receiving TB screening for active infections, screening for latent TB infection before immigration is rare. The authors used discrete event simulation to evaluate the cost-effectiveness preimmigration latent TB infection screening for migrants to low-incidence countries. They calculated cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained for migrants from countries with different TB incidences. Their analysis when combined with research on sustainability, acceptability, and program implementation can…
Mathematical Models | Infectious Diseases | Dynamic Simulation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Government/Law | 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 -
ArticleWeb Portal 2017PLOS Collection: Economic Efficiency of HIV Services
In order to maximize the value for money for HIV services and increase efficiency without …
In order to maximize the value for money for HIV services and increase efficiency without sacrificing quality, robust and up-to-date data on costs, efficiency and its determinants are needed. This PLOS collection, Economic Efficiency of HIV Services, presents recent, high-quality evidence from low- and middle-income countries on costs and technical efficiency of HIV services and their determinants. These data contribute to the current discussion on optimizing resources for HIV services and can provide programmatic guidance for…
Infectious Diseases | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Operations Research | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific