Resources Repository
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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 | Science/Technology | Clinical Care | Infectious Diseases | Culture/Society -
ReviewPublication 2022Diagnostics for COVID-19: Moving from Pandemic Response to Control
Diagnostics are essential in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, with three primary methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 …
Diagnostics are essential in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, with three primary methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infections. Each test type remains vital as we shift from responding to controlling the pandemic. Molecular tests, like PCR, are highly precise in identifying viral RNA and are endorsed by the WHO for confirming cases and guiding public health actions. Antigen rapid tests spot viral proteins and, while less accurate than molecular tests, are quicker, more affordable, simpler, and can…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Clinical Care | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems -
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…
Test Performance | Technology Assessment | Health/Medicine | Clinical Care | Probability/Bayes | Infectious Diseases -
ArticlePublication 2016Estimating the Cost-Effectiveness of Implementation: Is Sufficient Evidence Available?
Timely implementation of recommended interventions can provide health benefits to patients and cost savings to …
Timely implementation of recommended interventions can provide health benefits to patients and cost savings to the health service provider. Effective approaches to increase the implementation of guidance are needed. Since investment in activities that improve implementation competes for funding against other health generating interventions, it should be assessed in term of its costs and benefits. In 2010, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence released a clinical guideline recommending natriuretic peptide (NP) testing in…
Operations Research | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Clinical Care | Health Outcomes | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Europe -
ArticlePublication 2011Model-Based Analyses to Compare Health and Economic Outcomes of Cancer Control: Inclusion of Disparities
In order to identify strategies that improve both population health and ensure its equitable distribution, …
In order to identify strategies that improve both population health and ensure its equitable distribution, the authors developed a typology of cancer disparities that considers types of inequalities among black, white, and Hispanic populations across different cancers. This paper reports on the typology using an existing disease simulation model of cervical cancer that was calibrated to clinical, epidemiological, and cost data in the United States and presents characteristics important for policy discussions. The typology proposed…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Clinical Care | Priority Setting/Ethics | State-Transition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Culture/Society | North America -
ArticlePublication 2011Health and Economic Impact of HPV 16/18 Vaccination and Cervical Cancer Screening in Eastern Africa
In this article the authors use epidemiologic data from Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe …
In this article the authors use epidemiologic data from Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe to develop models of HPV-related infection and disease. For each country, they assessed HPV vaccination of girls before age 12 followed by screening with HPV DNA testing once, twice, or three times per lifetime (at ages 35, 40, 45). For women over age 30, they assessed only screening (with HPV DNA testing up to three times per lifetime or VIA…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Clinical Care | Microsimulation | Calibration/Validation | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Economics/Finance | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2009Cost-Effectiveness of HPV Vaccination and Cervical Cancer Screening in Women Aged 30+ Years in the U.S.
The objective of the study was to assess the health and economic outcomes of HPV …
The objective of the study was to assess the health and economic outcomes of HPV vaccination in older U.S. women. The authors conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis with an empirically calibrated model using data from published literature; interventions included HPV vaccination added to screening strategies that differ by test (cytology or HPV DNA testing), frequency, and start age versus screening alone.They found that in the context of annual or biennial screening, HPV vaccination of women aged…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Clinical Care | Microsimulation | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Economics/Finance | North America -
ArticlePublication 2009Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Including Boys in a HPV Vaccination Program in the U.S.
This article reports on a societal-perspective cost effectiveness analysis of including preadolescent boys in a …
This article reports on a societal-perspective cost effectiveness analysis of including preadolescent boys in a routine human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program for preadolescent girls. The analysis included girls and boys aged 12 years; interventions included HPV vaccination of girls alone and of girls and boys in the context of screening for cervical cancer. The authors found that with 75% vaccination coverage and an assumption of complete, lifelong vaccine efficacy, routine HPV vaccination of 12-year-old girls…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Dynamic Transmission | Health/Medicine | Clinical Care | Microsimulation | Calibration/Validation | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Economics/Finance | North America -
ArticlePublication 2008Health and Economic Impact of HPV 16 and 18 Vaccination and Cervical Cancer Screening in India
As cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer death among women in low-income countries, …
As cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer death among women in low-income countries, with approximately 25% of cases worldwide occurring in India, these authors estimated the potential health and economic impact of different cervical cancer prevention strategies in India. After empirically calibrating a cervical cancer model to country-specific epidemiologic data, they projected cancer incidence, life expectancy, and lifetime costs (I$2005), and calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (I$/YLS) for the following strategies: pre-adolescent vaccination of…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Clinical Care | Microsimulation | Calibration/Validation | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Asia & Pacific