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…
Clinical Care | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | North America -
ReviewPublication 2022Significance of Advanced COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing in Pandemic Control Measures
Over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community has mounted significant …
Over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community has mounted significant efforts to combat the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 virus. Despite substantial progress in vaccines and treatments, leading to lower hospitalization and death rates, the virus has continued to evolve, primarily through mutations. From the onset, diagnostic tests have been crucial in identifying and controlling the virus spread. The scientific world has pioneered various diagnostic techniques, including nucleic acid, antigen, and antibody-based…
Clinical Care | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | 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…
Clinical Care | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
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…
Clinical Care | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
ArticlePublication 2021Cost-Effectiveness of Hypertension Treatment by Pharmacists in Black Barbershops
The Los Angeles Barbershop Blood Pressure Study (LABBPS) examined the effectiveness and cost of a …
The Los Angeles Barbershop Blood Pressure Study (LABBPS) examined the effectiveness and cost of a one-year pharmacist-led hypertension care intervention in Black-owned barbershops in Los Angeles County, focused on non-Hispanic Black men with uncontrolled hypertension. Using a discrete event simulation, the researchers projected the 10-year health outcomes and health care costs associated with the intervention compared to a control group. The costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were calculated from a health care sector perspective, with…
Mathematical Models | Clinical Care | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2019Cost-Effectiveness of Community-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions in Australia
This study examined the cost-effectiveness of community-based obesity prevention interventions (CBIs) consisting of strategies to …
This study examined the cost-effectiveness of community-based obesity prevention interventions (CBIs) consisting of strategies to promote healthy eating and physical activity for Australian children aged between 5-18 years. A multiple cohort Markov model that simulates diseases associated with overweight and obesity was used to estimate the health benefits, measured as health-adjusted life years (HALYs) and healthcare-related cost offsets from diseases averted due to exposure to the intervention. Health and cost outcomes were estimated over the…
Clinical Care | Health Outcomes | State-Transition | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | Oceania -
ArticlePublication 2019Cost-Effectiveness of Clinic, Home, or Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurement for Hypertension Diagnosis
This study compared three methods of blood pressure (BP) measurement for diagnosing hypertension in primary …
This study compared three methods of blood pressure (BP) measurement for diagnosing hypertension in primary care settings, accounting for the possibility of false-positive (white-coat hypertension) and false-negative (masked hypertension) clinic measurements. Outcomes included quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and lifetime costs associated with clinic BP measurement, home BP monitoring, and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) under two scenarios: positive and negative initial screening. Data were from published literature, public data sources, and expert input. In the…
Mathematical Models | Clinical Care | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health/Medicine | North America -
ReportPublication 2013Decision and Simulation Modeling Alongside Systematic Reviews
This chapter is part of a report entitled, Decision and Simulation Modeling in Systematic Reviews, that seeks …
This chapter is part of a report entitled, Decision and Simulation Modeling in Systematic Reviews, that seeks to provide guidance for determining when incorporating a decision-analytic model alongside a systemic review would be of added value for decision making purposes. The chapter discusses the role of decision analysis and decision-analytic models in health care, specifically within the context of the current emphasis on evidence-based medicine and the proliferation of systematic reviews. It describes the types of model available…
Clinical Care | Evidence Synthesis | State-Transition | Dynamic Transmission | Microsimulation | Dynamic Simulation | Health Systems | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2017Changing the South African National ART Guidelines: The Role of Cost Modelling
This analysis was motivated by the South African Department of Health's request to assess the …
This analysis was motivated by the South African Department of Health's request to assess the cost implications of adopting sets of ART guidelines issued by the World Health Organization between 2010 and 2016.Using data from large South African ART clinics (n = 24,244 patients), projections of patients in need of ART, and cost data from bottom-up cost analyses, the authors constructed a population-level health-state transition model with 6-monthly transitions between health states depending on patients’ age,…
Clinical Care | Costing Methods | State-Transition | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa