Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2021Rational Policymaking during a Pandemic
Policymaking during a pandemic can be extremely challenging. As COVID-19 is a new disease and …
Policymaking during a pandemic can be extremely challenging. As COVID-19 is a new disease and its global impacts are unprecedented, decisions are taken in a highly uncertain, complex, and rapidly changing environment. In such a context, in which human lives and the economy are at stake, the authors argue that using ideas and constructs from modern decision theory, even informally, will make policymaking a more responsible and transparent process.
Decision Theory | Health/Medicine | Global | Priority Setting/Ethics | Infectious Diseases | Policy/Regulation | Government/Law | Science/Technology -
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…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Global | Probability/Bayes | Technology Assessment | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Government/Law | 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…
Test Performance | Health/Medicine | Global | Probability/Bayes | Infectious Diseases | Science/Technology -
ArticlePublication 2017Extended Cost-Effectiveness Analyses of Cardiovascular Risk Factor Reduction Policies
This chapter summarizes lessons learned from three extended cost-effectiveness analyses (ECEAs) conducted on cardiovascular disease …
This chapter summarizes lessons learned from three extended cost-effectiveness analyses (ECEAs) conducted on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor reduction policies, specifically highlighting new insights into the differential impacts of well-established CVD prevention interventions. Tobacco taxation, salt reduction, and primary prevention of CVD in high-risk individuals remain widely regarded as best buys in global noncommunicable disease policy, and the ECEAs confirm the findings of previous CEAs, namely, that these interventions will likely result in large health…
Evidence Synthesis | Health/Medicine | Global | Priority Setting/Ethics | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk -
ArticlePublication 2019Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations of Vaccination Strategies Against Tuberculosis
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only licensed vaccine for tuberculosis, but its effectiveness is limited …
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only licensed vaccine for tuberculosis, but its effectiveness is limited and varies by age, so a valid cost-effectiveness study is needed to assist decision-makers in the implementation of cost-effective strategies for BCG vaccination. Using the Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) instrument, the authors assessed the quality of published studies involving economic evaluations of BCG vaccination strategies in a variety of regions, target populations, and vaccine types. Most of the…
Evidence Synthesis | Health/Medicine | Global | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases -
ArticlePublication 2018Comparing Cost-per-QALYs Gained to Cost-per-DALYs Averted
The authors examined 6,438 cost-per-QALY and 543 cost-per-DALY studies published through 2016 using two databases, …
The authors examined 6,438 cost-per-QALY and 543 cost-per-DALY studies published through 2016 using two databases, the Tufts Medical Center CEA Registry (cost-per-QALY gained studies), and the Global Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (GHCEA) Registry (cost-per-DALY averted studies). Study characteristics that were analyzed included intervention type, sponsor, country, primary disease, and number of CEAs versus disease burden estimates for major conditions. The authors report that cost-per-QALY studies were most often about pharmaceuticals or interventions in high-income countries while cost-per-DALY…
Evidence Synthesis | Health/Medicine | Global | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Policy/Regulation -
ReviewPublication 2018Equity Considerations in CEA: Rotavirus Vaccine in LMIC's
The authors used a systematic review of the literature to identify economic evaluations of rotavirus …
The authors used a systematic review of the literature to identify economic evaluations of rotavirus vaccine in LMICs and assess the extent to which equity was considered in the objectives, analysis, and results. They used equity-related indicators provided in the Guidance on Priority Setting in Health Care (GPS-Health) checklist criteria resulting in 18 unique indicators tracked. The authors found that some articles incorporated the indicators in their model inputs (20%) while the majority (80%) presented…
Evidence Synthesis | Health/Medicine | Global | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Social Determinants -
GuidelinesPublication 2018Latent TB Infection: Updated & Consolidated Guidelines for Programmatic Management
Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is defined as a state of persistent immune response to stimulation …
Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is defined as a state of persistent immune response to stimulation by Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens with no evidence of clinically manifest active TB. Up to one third of the world’s population is estimated to be infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and on average, 5–10% of those who are infected will develop active TB disease over their lifetime. The management of LTBI involves a comprehensive package of interventions: identifying and testing those individuals…
Evidence Synthesis | Health/Medicine | Global | Infectious Diseases -
ArticlePublication 2018Equity Impact Vaccines May Have on Averting Deaths and Medical Impoverishment
In this analysis, authors estimated the number of deaths averted and the number of cases …
In this analysis, authors estimated the number of deaths averted and the number of cases of medical impoverishment averted of ten antigens and their corresponding vaccines across income quintiles for forty-one low- and middle-income countries. The study found that vaccines administered between 2016 and 2030 would prevent 36 million deaths. Vaccines will have the greatest impact on reducing cases of poverty caused by hepatitis B, helping an estimated 14 million people avoid medical impoverishment. An…
Costing Methods | Health/Medicine | Middle East & North Africa | Priority Setting/Ethics | Health Outcomes | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Child/Nutrition | Global Governance | Economics/Finance | Science/Technology | Sub-Saharan Africa | Asia & Pacific