Resources Repository
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Tutorial/PrimerPublication, Teaching Resource 2015White Paper: Retrospective Benefit-Cost Analysis
In this article the authors consider how benefit-cost analysis can be used retrospectively to promote …
In this article the authors consider how benefit-cost analysis can be used retrospectively to promote understanding of the impacts after a policy is implemented. Serving as a brief primer, the authors propose that analysis can be useful for identifying needed reforms as well as in improving the conduct of future prospective analyses. The major challenges relate to estimating what would have occurred in the absence of the policy and separating the effects of the policy…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Government/Law | Economics/Finance | Social Determinants | Priority Setting/Ethics | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Culture/Society | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Policy Translation -
Working PaperPublication 2015Benefit-Cost Analysis and the Cities
This paper provides a short introduction to the use of benefit-cost analysis to assess interventions …
This paper provides a short introduction to the use of benefit-cost analysis to assess interventions undertaken at the city or municipal level. It introduces the concepts that underlie the conduct of benefit-cost analysis, describes the major analytic components, and discusses how to tailor the analysis to the characteristics of the policy and the resources available. It concludes with a list of references for those interested in learning more.
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Government/Law | Economics/Finance | Social Determinants | Preferences/Values | Priority Setting/Ethics | Decision Analysis | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | Culture/Society | North America | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
BookPublication 2014Decision Making in Health and Medicine: Integrating Evidence and Values
Decision making in health care involves consideration of a complex set of diagnostic, therapeutic and …
Decision making in health care involves consideration of a complex set of diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic uncertainties. Medical therapies have side effects, surgical interventions may lead to complications, and diagnostic tests can produce misleading results. Furthermore, patient values and service costs must be considered. Decisions in clinical and health policy require careful weighing of risks and benefits and are commonly a trade-off of competing objectives: maximizing quality of life vs maximizing life expectancy vs minimizing…
Probability/Bayes | Government/Law | Economics/Finance | Health Systems | Preferences/Values | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Test Performance | Value of Information | Mathematical Models | Decision Analysis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Global | North America | Europe | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Quantitative Literacy -
EditorialPublication 2020Waiting for Certainty on COVID-19 Antibody Tests — At What Cost?
This perspective anticipates the availability of serologic antibody testing and considers its potential usefulness in mitigation …
This perspective anticipates the availability of serologic antibody testing and considers its potential usefulness in mitigation policy to reduce COVID-19 transmission. For example: Could we screen for serologic antibodies as a proxy for possible immunity and identify people who could return to the workplace with less severe mitigation measures? The authors acknowledge the uncertainties raised by many policy actors, including the WHO, such as, "Do antibodies confer immunity and, if so, for how long? How accurate is…
Probability/Bayes | Government/Law | Health Systems | Test Performance | Technology Assessment | Infectious Diseases | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine | Global | North America -
Resource PackPublication, Teaching Resource 2024Resource Pack: BCA in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
This resource pack, curated by the Center for Health Decision Science, includes methods papers, case …
This resource pack, curated by the Center for Health Decision Science, includes methods papers, case studies, and reference case guidelines for conducting benefit-cost analyses in low- and middle-income countries. These resources will aid advanced students and experienced practitioners in preparing these analyses. Investing in global health and development requires making difficult choices about what initiatives to fund and what level of resources to devote to each initiative. Although benefit-cost analysis is a well-established and widely…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Economics/Finance | Social Determinants | Preferences/Values | Priority Setting/Ethics | Decision Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine | Global | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
Working PaperPublication 2018Valuing Nonfatal Health Risk Reductions
This paper explores approaches for valuing nonfatal risk reductions associated with policy choices in low- …
This paper explores approaches for valuing nonfatal risk reductions associated with policy choices in low- and middle-income countries. The approach for valuation ideally would be based on estimates of individuals’ willingness to pay for changes in their own risks. However, high quality valuation research is not available for many nonfatal conditions even in high-income settings. Typically, two approaches are used either alone or in combination as rough proxies. The first involves applying an estimate of…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Economics/Finance | Social Determinants | Preferences/Values | Priority Setting/Ethics | Health Outcomes | Decision Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine | Global | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
ReportPublication 2017Investing Early: Taking Stock of Outcomes and Economic Returns from Early Childhood Programs
The past two decades have been characterized by a growing body of research from diverse …
The past two decades have been characterized by a growing body of research from diverse disciplines - child development, psychology, neuroscience, and economics, among others - demonstrating the importance of establishing a strong foundation in the early years of life. The research evidence has served to document the range of early childhood services that can successfully put children and families on the path toward lifelong health and well-being, especially those at greatest risk of poor…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Education/Labor | Social Determinants | Evidence Synthesis | Child/Nutrition | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine -
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 | Economics/Finance | Health Systems | Preferences/Values | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Health/Medicine | Oceania -
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 | Economics/Finance | Health Systems | Priority Setting/Ethics | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Health/Medicine | Global