Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2021Correct COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation: Lancet Commission on COVID-19 Vaccines & Therapeutics Task Force Members
This brief “primer” assists healthcare providers in correcting a growing body of misinformation surrounding COVID-19 …
This brief “primer” assists healthcare providers in correcting a growing body of misinformation surrounding COVID-19 vaccines. In 2020, up to one-third or more of people surveyed both globally and in the U.S. indicated they might refuse the first COVID-19 vaccines when released through emergency use authorization (EUA). Their rationale included questions about vaccine efficacy, potential side effects, or speeding through regulatory approval processes. Even among healthcare workers, high rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy were noted.…
Global | Preferences/Values | Infectious Diseases | Social Determinants | Policy/Regulation | Global Governance | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
ArticlePublication 2021Alleviating the Burden of Diabetes with Health Equity Funds: Economic Evaluation of the Health & Financial Risk Protection Benefits in Cambodia
This study examines the potential distributional health and financial impacts of implementing strategies to provide …
This study examines the potential distributional health and financial impacts of implementing strategies to provide financial coverage for diabetes services through Health Equity Funds (HEF) in Cambodia. Utilizing a Markov model, the trajectory of diabetes is projected over a 45-year period to estimate societal costs, health outcomes, and individual out-of-pocket expenditures associated with six HEF coverage strategies. Input parameters are derived from published literature and household survey data. Strategies covered different combinations of types of…
Asia & Pacific | Health Outcomes | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health/Medicine -
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…
Global | Probability/Bayes | Test Performance | Technology Assessment | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2020Interpreting COVID-19 Test Results: A Bayesian Approach
This article considers the following question with respect to interpreting the results of polymerase chain reaction …
This article considers the following question with respect to interpreting the results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays from nasal and pharyngeal swabs for COVID-19 to inform clinical decision making: "While a positive result in an acutely ill patient is straightforward, how should physicians interpret negative tests in patients with suspected COVID-19 infection?" Using an assumption of near-perfect specificity of PCR assays for COVID-19, the authors acknowledge the uncertainty of test sensitivity. They consider two clinical scenarios…
Global | Probability/Bayes | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
ArticlePublication 2020Impact of Cigarette Tax Increase in India
This article, published in Gates Open Research, examines the impact of a one-time large cigarette …
This article, published in Gates Open Research, examines the impact of a one-time large cigarette price increase, through an increase in excise tax, on health and financing outcomes in four Indian states. Extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) is used to estimate, across income quintiles, the life-years gained, treatment cost averted, number of men avoiding catastrophic health expenditures and extreme poverty, and additional tax revenue collected with a cigarette price increase to Indian Rupees (INR) 10 plus…
Asia & Pacific | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine -
OrganizationWeb Portal 2024RAND Corporation
The RAND Corporation (“Research and Development”) is a research organization that develops solutions to public …
The RAND Corporation (“Research and Development”) is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s research findings and recommendations are based on data and evidence and therefore do not necessarily reflect the policy preferences or interests of its clients, donors, or…
Global | Child/Nutrition | Injuries/Accidents | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Business/Industry | Climate/Environment | Energy/Engineering | Education/Labor | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Military/Defense | Science/Technology -
ArticlePublication 2020Who Benefits Most from Extending Financial Protection for Cataract Surgery in Vietnam?: An ECEA
This study evaluated the potential impact, on health and financial protection, of eliminating medical and …
This study evaluated the potential impact, on health and financial protection, of eliminating medical and non-medical out-of-pocket costs associated with cataract surgery in Vietnam using extended cost-effectiveness analysis.
Asia & Pacific | Priority Setting/Ethics | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Health/Medicine -
Online LearningVideo, Teaching Resource 2020Valuing Statistical Lives: Concepts, Current Practices, and Challenges
Many policies aim to improve longevity, decreasing the risk of death in each year, and …
Many policies aim to improve longevity, decreasing the risk of death in each year, and the value of these risk reductions often dominate the estimated benefits of risk regulations and other policies. This value is often expressed as the value per statistical life (VSL), a term that is widely misunderstood. It is not the value that the analyst, the government, or the individual places on saving an identified life with certainty. Instead, it reflects individuals’…
Global | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2020Equity & Distributional Impact on Stunting of a Nutritional Package, Children Aged 6-36 Months in China: Modeling Study Findings
This article evaluates the potential impact of rolling out the Ying Yang Bao (YYB) nutritional …
This article evaluates the potential impact of rolling out the Ying Yang Bao (YYB) nutritional package on child stunting across provinces and wealth groups in China, focusing on equity. Utilizing data from the China Family Panel Studies and extended cost-effectiveness analysis methods, the study estimates the distributional impact of a 12-month YYB program for children aged 6-36 months across 25 provinces and two wealth groups. Results indicate that a 75% coverage of YYB could avert…
Asia & Pacific | Health Outcomes | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Health/Medicine