Resources Repository
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ToolWeb Portal 2023CDC Resource Portal: Diagnostic Tests for SARS-CoV-2
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a broad range of resources about …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a broad range of resources about diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 aimed at the general public, health professionals and laboratory personnel. The overviews and guidelines for health professionals provide comprehensive information about the current available diagnostics, their strengths and limitations, their performance characteristics and guidelines for their use and interpretation. Selected topics included are provided below. Overview of Testing for SARS-CoV-2, the Virus That Causes COVID-19. Interim…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Clinical Care | Science/Technology | North America -
ArticlePublication 2022Modeling the Effectiveness of Healthcare Personnel Reactive Testing and Screening for the SARS-Cov-2 Omicron Variant within Nursing Homes
The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been hypothesized to exhibit faster clearance (time from peak …
The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been hypothesized to exhibit faster clearance (time from peak viral concentration to clearance of acute infection), may be less detectable by antigen tests (decreased sensitivity), and may be more likely to evade immunity conferred by past infection or vaccination) compared to prior variants. This calls for a reassessment of strategies to prevent its spread, especially in vulnerable settings like nursing homes. Using a model that tracks viral shedding patterns,…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | North America -
ArticlePublication 2022Comparison of Home Antigen Testing With RT-PCR and Viral Culture During the Course of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
As the availability of at-home self-collected antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 increases, understanding their efficacy is …
As the availability of at-home self-collected antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 increases, understanding their efficacy is crucial. A study in San Diego and Denver between January and May 2021 assessed the reliability of these tests against standard RT-PCR tests and viral cultures. Of the 225 participants with confirmed infections, the antigen test sensitivity was found to be 50% during the infectious period, 64% against the same-day RT-PCR, and 84% against the same-day cultures. Sensitivity was highest…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Clinical Care | Culture/Society | Science/Technology -
ArticlePublication 2023Single-Arm Trial Design Estimates Efficacy
Studies to confirm the efficacy of a single HPV vaccine dose, of vaccine durability, and …
Studies to confirm the efficacy of a single HPV vaccine dose, of vaccine durability, and of vaccination modifications are needed, but randomized controlled trials are costly and face logistical and ethical challenges. In this study, the authors demonstrate proof-of-principle that a single-arm design yields valid estimates with similar precision to a randomized controlled trial.
Health Outcomes | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Policy/Regulation | Global -
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 | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Global | North America -
ArticlePublication 2022Spatial-Mechanistic Model to Estimate Sub-National Tuberculosis Burden in Brazilian Municipalities
Reliable subnational estimates of TB incidence are needed to focus disease control resources in areas …
Reliable subnational estimates of TB incidence are needed to focus disease control resources in areas of highest need. This study developed an approach for generating small area estimates of TB incidence, and the fraction of individuals missed by routine case detection, based on available notification and mortality data. The approach is demonstrated by estimating TB outcomes for 5568 municipalities in Brazil, revealing substantial subnational differences in disease burden and other metrics useful for designing high-impact…
Health Outcomes | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | Latin America & Caribbean -
ArticlePublication 2022Comparing Health Gains, Costs & Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions in Australia & New Zealand
This paper synthesizes the health gains, costs, and cost-effectiveness of health interventions in Australia and New …
This paper synthesizes the health gains, costs, and cost-effectiveness of health interventions in Australia and New Zealand (NZ) from studies conducted with comparable methods, and reports results in the form of an online interactive league table. Studies from the Australia Cost-Effectiveness research and NZ Burden of Disease Epidemiology, Equity and Cost-Effectiveness Programmes and studies were included which reported health-adjusted life years (HALYs) and net health system costs and/or incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, used a time horizon of…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Health Systems | Asia & Pacific | Oceania -
ArticlePublication 2022Hospitalization Costs for COVID-19 in Ethiopia: Empirical Data and Analysis from Addis Ababa's Largest Dedicated Treatment Center
This study examines the comprehensive costs of hospitalization for COVID-19 disease at Ekka Kotebe COVID-19 …
This study examines the comprehensive costs of hospitalization for COVID-19 disease at Ekka Kotebe COVID-19 treatment center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the largest dedicated hospital for COVID-19 patient care in the country. Through retrospective collection and analysis of clinical and cost data from March to November 2020, including personnel time, drugs, medical supplies, and facility utilities, the study estimates the cost per treated COVID-19 episode stratified by disease severity. Over the study period, 2,543 COVID-19…
Costing Methods | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2022Child Health Inequity through Case Management of Under-Five Malaria in Nigeria: An ECEA
This study assesses the potential impact of subsidies covering the direct and indirect costs of …
This study assesses the potential impact of subsidies covering the direct and indirect costs of under-five malaria case management in Nigeria, utilizing an extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) and a decision tree model. Findings reveal that fully subsidizing medical, non-medical, and indirect costs could annually avert over 19,000 under-five deaths, 8,600 cases of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE), and US$187 million in out-of-pocket (OOP) spending. Per US$1 million invested, this translates to a significant reduction in under-five…
Health Outcomes | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Policy/Regulation | Sub-Saharan Africa