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 | Clinical Care | Test Performance | Technology Assessment | Infectious Diseases | Health/Medicine -
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 | Clinical Care | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2020Clinical Decision Making: Using a Diagnostic Test
This article is part of a 6-part series on clinical decision making. The authors use …
This article is part of a 6-part series on clinical decision making. The authors use two clinical examples to review the principles of interpreting diagnostic test results. They outline an approach that can be used to determine how to select and apply tests and their results to the practice of internal medicine. Topics covered in the two case studies include sensitivity and specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive value of tests, and how to estimate…
Probability/Bayes | Clinical Care | Test Performance | Health/Medicine -
ReportPublication 2017DCP3: Improving Health and Reducing Poverty
This report from the World Bank is the ninth and final volume of the Disease …
This report from the World Bank is the ninth and final volume of the Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (DCP3) series. It provides an overview of the findings and methods explored in the first eight volumes, placing them within a framework that identifies an efficient pathway toward essential universal health coverage through the implementation of 21 essential packages that include health interventions and fiscal and intersectoral policies. The Disease Control Priorities Network (DCP) promotes and…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Mental Health | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Evidence Synthesis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Injuries/Accidents | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Global Governance | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Global -
ReportPublication 2017Underestimated Cost of the Opioid Crisis
This report on the opioid public health crisis was released by the White House Council …
This report on the opioid public health crisis was released by the White House Council on Economic Advisors (CEA) in November 2017. It corrects previous estimates of related costs by adding the value of the associated deaths. Earlier estimates focused on medical and other expenditures, while the new report also includes estimates of the value that individuals place on reducing their own risks of premature mortality. The report notes that, in 2015, over 33,000 Americans…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Mental Health | Preferences/Values | Costing Methods | Chronic Disease/Risk | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America -
ReportPublication 2017Economic Value of Informal Mental Health Caring
Caregivers, family and friends play a significant role in supporting people with mental illness, and …
Caregivers, family and friends play a significant role in supporting people with mental illness, and it has long been recognized that informal carers constitute a significant ‘hidden’ workforce in Australia. Faced as Australia is with an ageing population and burgeoning chronic disease, data on the contribution that carers make and the consequent savings to governments and other ‘payers’ need to be articulated. This report attempts to put a ‘value’ on informal caring for those with mental illness.…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Mental Health | Preferences/Values | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Oceania -
Resource PackPublication, Teaching Resource 2017Resource Pack: Disease Control Priorities
This resource pack, curated by the Center of Health Decision Science, showcases selected analyses produced …
This resource pack, curated by the Center of Health Decision Science, showcases selected analyses produced by the Disease Control Priorities 3 (DCP3) to inform program design and resource allocation at the global and country levels. Analyses focus on the effectiveness, cost, and cost-effectiveness of priority interventions. Learn more by visiting the DCP3 website.
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Mental Health | Costing Methods | Evidence Synthesis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Injuries/Accidents | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Global | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Policy Translation | Quantitative Literacy -
ArticlePublication 2016Estimating Benefits of Regulations Affecting Addictive Goods
The question of how to evaluate lost consumer surplus in benefit−cost analyses is controversial. There …
The question of how to evaluate lost consumer surplus in benefit−cost analyses is controversial. There are clear health benefits of regulations that curb consumption of goods with health risks, such as tobacco products and foods high in fats, calories, sugar, and sodium. Yet, if regulations cause consumers to give up goods they like, the health benefits they experience may be offset by some utility loss, which benefit−cost analyses of regulations need to take into account.…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Mental Health | Decision Theory | Preferences/Values | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2016Challenges of Prioritization
Cost-effectiveness analysis has traditionally been applied primarily to very specific interventions, such as drugs and …
Cost-effectiveness analysis has traditionally been applied primarily to very specific interventions, such as drugs and diagnostics; in addition, the evidence base drawn on for evaluating such interventions is relatively good, given the medical research industry surrounding their testing. However, with increasing success in controlling infectious diseases, many of the health challenges facing countries concern broad threats to health with multiple causes, such as obesity, where the relationship between policy action and health benefit is not…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Mental Health | Priority Setting/Ethics | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Global