Resources Repository
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ReviewPublication 2021Considerations for Diagnostic COVID-19 Tests
During the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a rush by numerous diagnostic …
During the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a rush by numerous diagnostic test manufacturers to create, validate, and implement testing methods. This review discusses the pivotal role of diagnostic tests during the pandemic's first global wave, highlighting the challenges in technology and implementation experienced early on. The study also offers insights for enhancing the use of diagnostics, especially syndromic ones, should there be future spikes or regional outbreaks of COVID-19. The overarching…
Science/Technology | North America | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine -
ReviewPublication 2022Rapid, Point-of-Care Antigen Tests for Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
This study reviewed the diagnostic accuracy of rapid, point-of-care antigen tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection, …
This study reviewed the diagnostic accuracy of rapid, point-of-care antigen tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection, differentiating results between symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Using data from 155 study cohorts, the study found that the sensitivity of antigen tests was generally higher for symptomatic individuals, especially during the first week after symptom onset, due to higher viral loads. For example, average sensitivity was higher in symptomatic (73.0%) compared to asymptomatic participants (54.7). Average sensitivity was higher in…
Science/Technology | North America | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine -
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…
Science/Technology | North America | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine -
ReviewPublication 2021Prevalence of Health Misinformation on Social Media: Systematic Review
This systematic review aimed to identify the main health misinformation topics and their prevalence on …
This systematic review aimed to identify the main health misinformation topics and their prevalence on different social media platforms, with focus on methodological quality and the diverse solutions that are being implemented to address this public health concern. The authors defined health misinformation as a health-related claim that is based on anecdotal evidence, false, or misleading owing to the lack of existing scientific knowledge. They included (1) articles that focused on health misinformation in social…
Science/Technology | North America | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine -
ReviewPublication 2016Strengthening Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Public Health Policy
Many important opportunities to improve health lie outside the health sector and involve improving the …
Many important opportunities to improve health lie outside the health sector and involve improving the conditions in which we live and work: safe design and maintenance of roads, bridges, train tracks, and airports; control of environmental pollutants; occupational safety; healthy buildings; a safe and healthy food supply; safe manufacture of consumer products; a healthy social environment; and others. Faced with the overwhelming array of possibilities, U.S. decision makers need help identifying those that can contribute the…
Food/Agriculture | North America | Preferences/Values | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Social Determinants | Environmental Health | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine -
BookPublication 2015Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programmes, 4th Edition
The 2015 edition of Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programmes provides a …
The 2015 edition of Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programmes provides a 'tool kit' for undertaking health economic evaluations. The report is aimed at researchers, health service professionals and policy makers without a formal economics background. The recommendations are based on the authors' own experiences and so are practical in nature. The book describes the challenges of allocating resources efficiently and fairly, including challenges in methodology and policy formation. Examples are provided.…
Science/Technology | North America | Preferences/Values | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Evidence Synthesis | Value of Information | Mathematical Models | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Global | Europe -
ReviewPublication 2015Economic Evaluation of Diet and Physical Activity to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic Review
Studies indicate that combined diet and physical activity promotion programs can prevent type 2 diabetes …
Studies indicate that combined diet and physical activity promotion programs can prevent type 2 diabetes among persons at increased risk. This paper systematically evaluates the evidence on cost, cost-effectiveness, and cost–benefit estimates of diet and physical activity promotion programs. English-language studies from high-income countries that provided data on cost, cost-effectiveness, or cost–benefit ratios of diet and physical activity promotion programs with at least 2 sessions over at least 3 months delivered to persons at increased risk…
Food/Agriculture | North America | Evidence Synthesis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Europe | Asia & Pacific -
BookPublication 2013Making Hard Decisions with Decision Tools, 3rd Edition
Making Hard Decisions with Decision Tools® is a new edition and teaches the fundamental ideas …
Making Hard Decisions with Decision Tools® is a new edition and teaches the fundamental ideas of decision analysis, without an overly technical explanation of the mathematics used in decision analysis. This new version has been purposefully written to be more relevant to students in business and engineering compared to previous versions. This new version also incorporates and implements the powerful DecisionTools® software by Palisade Corporation. At the end of each chapter, topics are illustrated with step-by-step instructions…
Science/Technology | North America | Probability/Bayes | Preferences/Values | Test Performance | Value of Information | Microsimulation | Decision Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Business/Industry | Energy/Engineering | Health/Medicine | Military/Defense | Global | Europe -
BookPublication 1978Swine Flu Affair: Decision-Making on a Slippery Disease
This report from the Institute of Medicine, The Swine Flu Affair: Decision-Making on a Slippery …
This report from the Institute of Medicine, The Swine Flu Affair: Decision-Making on a Slippery Disease, was written to review and critique the decisions made around the 1976 swine flu threat. In 1976, a small group of soldiers at Fort Dix were infected with a swine flu virus that was deemed similar to the virus responsible for the great 1918-19 world-wide flu pandemic. The U.S. government initiated an unprecedented effort to immunize every American against…
Science/Technology | North America | Decision Analysis | Risk Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine