Resources Repository
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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 | Global | Infectious Diseases | Probability/Bayes | 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,…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Global | Infectious Diseases | Priority Setting/Ethics | Mathematical Models | Child/Nutrition | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2019Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations of Vaccination Strategies Against Tuberculosis
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only licensed vaccine for tuberculosis, but its effectiveness is limited …
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only licensed vaccine for tuberculosis, but its effectiveness is limited and varies by age, so a valid cost-effectiveness study is needed to assist decision-makers in the implementation of cost-effective strategies for BCG vaccination. Using the Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) instrument, the authors assessed the quality of published studies involving economic evaluations of BCG vaccination strategies in a variety of regions, target populations, and vaccine types. Most of the…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Global | Infectious Diseases | Evidence Synthesis | Mathematical Models | Health/Medicine -
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…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Global | Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | Dynamic Simulation | Government/Law | Health/Medicine -
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…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Global | Infectious Diseases | Evidence Synthesis | Social Determinants | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2017When Cost-Effective Interventions Are Unaffordable
Many health interventions deemed cost-effective are not affordable. Despite the importance of affordability to policymakers, …
Many health interventions deemed cost-effective are not affordable. Despite the importance of affordability to policymakers, little of the cost-effectiveness literature in global health addresses this issue. Budget impact analysis (BIA) describes an intervention's short-term costs and savings from the payer's perspective. This paper assesses the current use of budget impact analysis (BIA) and cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) in health economic assessments conducted for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The authors recommend steps researchers and policymakers can…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Global | Infectious Diseases | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
ArticlePublication 2016Using Top-Down and Bottom-Up Costing Approaches in LMICs
In the absence of routine cost data collection, estimating the incremental costs of scaling-up novel …
In the absence of routine cost data collection, estimating the incremental costs of scaling-up novel technologies in low-income and middle-income countries is a methodologically challenging and substantial empirical undertaking. Using the example of costing the scale-up of Xpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)/resistance to riframpicin (RIF) in South Africa, the authors estimate costs, by applying two distinct approaches of bottom-up and top-down costing, together with an assessment of processes and capacity. The unit costs measured using the…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Global | Infectious Diseases | Costing Methods | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine -
ReviewPublication 2016Review: CEA for Maternal, Newborn, Child Health
This chapter summarizes the findings of a systematic search of the cost-effectiveness literature on interventions …
This chapter summarizes the findings of a systematic search of the cost-effectiveness literature on interventions to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health. Interventions for newborn health, treatment of febrile illness, immunization against preventable diseases, and micronutrient interventions remain among the most cost-effective and affordable. Other studies explore how to provide existing interventions using new platforms to increase outreach or decrease cost per person covered, or both. Interventions provided in the community may achieve both purposes to…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Global | Infectious Diseases | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Child/Nutrition | Health Systems | Education/Labor | Health/Medicine -
ReportPublication 2015Chapter 4: Cervical Cancer
This chapter focuses on the possibility of primary prevention of cervical cancer as a result …
This chapter focuses on the possibility of primary prevention of cervical cancer as a result of the introduction of two commercially available vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV). Few low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have initiated or sustained cytology-based cervical cancer prevention programs, and these countries experience very high incidence and mortality rates. Fortunately, alternative strategies to prevent cervical cancer have been investigated and extensively evaluated in these settings. The authors report findings from cost-effectiveness analyses…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Global | Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology