Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2017Using Data-Driven Agent-Based Models to Forecast Emerging Infectious Diseases
This paper describes an agent-based model framework developed to forecast the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, which …
This paper describes an agent-based model framework developed to forecast the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic, which was subsequently used in the Ebola forecasting challenge. Producing timely and reliable forecasts for an epidemic of an emerging infectious disease is a challenge. Epidemiologists and policy makers have to deal with poor data quality, limited understanding of the disease dynamics, a rapidly changing social environment and the uncertainty around the effects of various interventions in place. In this setting,…
Microsimulation | Calibration/Validation | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Dynamic Simulation | Infectious Diseases -
ArticlePublication 2017Designing an Optimal HIV Programme for South Africa
This 2017 study compares the traditional and a novel method of comparing cost-effectiveness interventions in …
This 2017 study compares the traditional and a novel method of comparing cost-effectiveness interventions in the context of HIV in South Africa, using a modeling approach. The authors argue that the assumptions of a) independence of interventions, and b) linear scale-up effects do not hold because South Africa has a large domestically funded HIV program with highly saturated coverage levels. The authors therefore aim to better allocate resources for HIV interventions in South Africa when…
Operations Research | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Priority Setting/Ethics | Mathematical Models | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Economics/Finance -
ArticlePublication 2016Cost-Effectiveness of Hypertension Treatment According to 2014 Guidelines
This article compared the cost-effectiveness of hypertension treatment in non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites according …
This article compared the cost-effectiveness of hypertension treatment in non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites according to 2014 US hypertension treatment guidelines. The cardiovascular disease (CVD) policy model was used to simulate CVD events, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and treatment costs in 35- to 74-year-old adults with untreated hypertension. CVD incidence, mortality, and risk factor levels were obtained from cohort studies, hospital registries, vital statistics, and national surveys. The authors assumed a willingness-to-pay for health of…
Microsimulation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | North America | Chronic Disease/Risk -
ArticlePublication 2016Cost-Effectiveness of Blood Pressure Treatment Guidelines in Adults 35-74
In this article the authors used the CVD Policy Model to compare the cost-effectiveness of …
In this article the authors used the CVD Policy Model to compare the cost-effectiveness of conservative versus intensive blood pressure treatment guidelines in adult hypertensive patients aged 35 to 74 years. Outcomes included in the study were CVD events, treatment costs, quality-adjusted life years, and drug and monitoring costs projected over the years 2016 to 2026. The effectiveness and costs of hypertension were calculated for treatment according to the 2003 Joint National Committee (JNC)-7 or…
Microsimulation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | North America | Chronic Disease/Risk | Clinical Care -
ReviewPublication 2016Remembering Howard Raiffa
Howard Raiffa (1924-2016) had a profound influence on all aspects of the decision sciences and on …
Howard Raiffa (1924-2016) had a profound influence on all aspects of the decision sciences and on the fields of systems analysis and operations research. He guided the introduction of the decision sciences into numerous fields such as business, medicine, public health, the environmental sciences, and law, and was instrumental in building world-recognized institutions such as the Kennedy School at Harvard and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis near Vienna, Austria. This article is a thoughtful tribute by…
Operations Research | Decision Analysis | Health/Medicine | North America | Decision Theory | Preferences/Values | Business/Industry | Economics/Finance | Military/Defense -
ArticlePublication 2016Cost-Effectiveness of Diagnosing HIV Infection During Early Infancy in South Africa
In this study the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of four different early infant HIV diagnosis …
In this study the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness of four different early infant HIV diagnosis (EID) testing strategies for HIV-exposed infants in South Africa were compared using a microsimulation model. The strategies included (1) no EID (diagnosis only after illness), (2) and (3) testing once (at birth alone or at 6 weeks of age alone), and (4) testing twice (at birth and 6 weeks of age). Findings showed that the testing at birth alone strategy…
Microsimulation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Infectious Diseases | Child/Nutrition -
ArticlePublication 2016Prevention of Hepatitis C by Screening and Treatment in U.S. Prisons
This study assesses the health and economic impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening and …
This study assesses the health and economic impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening and treatment in U.S. prisons on the broader HCV epidemic. Employing an agent-based microsimulation model of HCV transmission and disease progression, data from published literature inform the analysis. The target populations include individuals in U.S. prisons and the general community over a 30-year timeframe, adopting a societal perspective. Interventions encompass risk-based and universal opt-out HCV screening in prisons, followed by treatment…
Microsimulation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | North America | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk -
ReviewPublication 2016Dynamic Transmission Economic Evaluation of Infectious Disease in LMIC
Economic evaluation using dynamic transmission models is important for capturing the indirect effects of infectious …
Economic evaluation using dynamic transmission models is important for capturing the indirect effects of infectious disease interventions. The authors examine the use of these methods in low- and middle-income countries, where infectious diseases constitute a major burden. The review is comprised of two parts: (1) a summary of dynamic transmission economic evaluations across all disease areas published between 2011 and mid-2014 and (2) an in-depth review of mosquito-borne disease studies focusing on health economic methods…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Dynamic Transmission | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Infectious Diseases | Economics/Finance | Middle East & North Africa | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific -
ArticlePublication 2015Valuing Regulations Affecting Addictive or Habitual Goods
The analysis of regulations affecting addictive or habitual goods has drawn considerable controversy. Some studies …
The analysis of regulations affecting addictive or habitual goods has drawn considerable controversy. Some studies have suggested that such regulations have only small welfare benefits, as consumers value these goods despite health benefits from quitting, while other studies suggest that information or behavioral problems make existing consumption decisions a poor guide to welfare evaluation. This analysis examines potential utility offsets to health benefits of regulations affecting addictive or habitual goods theoretically and empirically. The paper…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Health/Medicine | Culture/Society | North America | Preferences/Values | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance