Resources Repository
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ReviewPublication 2012Applying Decision Science to Managing National Forests
This publication is an example of the application of decision science to the management of …
This publication is an example of the application of decision science to the management of federal public forests, in particular to meet sustainability goals and multiple use regulations. Through three case studies, the authors describe four stages of a decision analytic approach: problem structuring (framing the problem and defining objectives and evaluation criteria), problem analysis (defining alternatives, evaluating likely consequences, identifying key uncertainties, and analyzing tradeoffs), decision point (identifying the preferred alternative), and implementation and monitoring…
Risk Analysis | Decision Analysis | Climate/Environment | Value of Information | Social Determinants | Environmental Health | Policy/Regulation | Government/Law -
ReviewPublication 2006Public Health Policy for Cervical Cancer Prevention: Decision Science, Economic Evaluation, & Mathematical Modeling
Several factors are changing the landscape of cervical cancer control, including a better understanding of …
Several factors are changing the landscape of cervical cancer control, including a better understanding of the natural history of human papillomavirus (HPV), reliable assays for detecting high-risk HPV infections, and a soon to be available HPV-16/18 vaccine. There are important differences in the relevant policy questions for different settings. By synthesizing and integrating the best available data, the use of modeling in a decision analytic framework can identify those factors most likely to influence outcomes,…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Decision Analysis | Science/Technology | Mathematical Models | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Global -
ReviewPublication 1982Decision Analysis: An Overview
This article, written for the non-decision analyst, describes what decision analysis is, what it can …
This article, written for the non-decision analyst, describes what decision analysis is, what it can and cannot do, why one should care to do this, and how one does it. Keeney describes decision analysis as "a formalization of common sense for decision problems which are too complex for informal use of common sense." He provides a more technical definition also, describing decision analysis as "a philosophy, articulated by a set of logical axioms, and a methodology…
Decision Theory | Decision Analysis | Science/Technology | Preferences/Values | Policy/Regulation | Business/Industry | Economics/Finance | Energy/Engineering | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Military/Defense -
EditorialPublication 2021Scientific and Regulatory Challenges in Designing mHealth Interventions
Scientists looking for innovative ways to deliver health care have long searched for mechanisms that …
Scientists looking for innovative ways to deliver health care have long searched for mechanisms that can enable the right intervention to be delivered at the right time. Traditional delivery mechanisms have been limited both to the availability of a provider (e.g., a physician) and the location of care (e.g., a hospital or outpatient clinic). In recent years, however, numerous technological advancements—including wearable devices, mobile technologies, and the widespread development and use of user-friendly smartphone applications—have…
Technology Assessment | Science/Technology | Health/Medicine | North America -
ToolInteractive 2020COVID-19 Antibody Tests: Calculator for Interpreting Test Results
Antibody testing can determine previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus. This interactive calculator, linked to the article …
Antibody testing can determine previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus. This interactive calculator, linked to the article below* on antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 virus, allows users to vary the prior probability of infection, the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing, and the specificity of SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing. Key points made in the article accompanying the interactive include: (1) antibody testing is likely to be most useful 2 weeks after infection, (2) sensitivity and specificity will vary over time and…
Technology Assessment | Science/Technology | Probability/Bayes | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Clinical Care | 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…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Climate/Environment | Preferences/Values | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Social Determinants | Environmental Health | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine | North America -
ReviewPublication 2013Valuing the Economic Benefits of Complex Interventions
This is a review of economic evaluations of complex health interventions. Complex interventions, involving interlinked …
This is a review of economic evaluations of complex health interventions. Complex interventions, involving interlinked packages of care, challenge the application of current methods of economic evaluation that focus on measuring only health gain. The authors find that complex interventions may be problematic on two levels. First, the complexity means the intervention may not fit into one of the current appraisal systems, and/or second, maximizing health is not the only objective. This paper discusses the…
Decision Analysis | Science/Technology | Preferences/Values | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Europe -
ReviewPublication 2013Public Health Economics: Review of Guidance for Economic Evaluation
This is a systematic review of published guidance for the economic evaluation of public health …
This is a systematic review of published guidance for the economic evaluation of public health interventions. Public Health Economics is the science and art of supporting decision making as to how society can use its available resources to advance health, and minimize opportunity cost. In this review, the authors identified 5 international guidance documents, 7 UK guidance documents and 4 documents by individual commentators. The papers reviewed identify the main methodological challenges that face analysts…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Science/Technology | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Europe -
ReviewPublication 2008Cost-Effectiveness of Vaccination: Review of Modelling Approaches
This review examines the modelling approaches used in cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) of vaccination programs. After …
This review examines the modelling approaches used in cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) of vaccination programs. After overviewing the key attributes of models used in CEAs, a framework for categorizing theoretical models is presented. Categories are based on three main attributes: static/dynamic; stochastic/deterministic; and aggregate/individual based.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Science/Technology | Mathematical Models | State-Transition | Dynamic Transmission | Microsimulation | Dynamic Simulation | Infectious Diseases | Health/Medicine | Global