Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2020Valuing COVID-19 Mortality Risk
In this article, the author evaluates whether conventional estimates of the value per statistical life …
In this article, the author evaluates whether conventional estimates of the value per statistical life (VSL) in the United States (about $10 million) are appropriate for evaluating policies that affect risk of COVID-19. This estimate may be too large, because: (1) VSL estimates marginal values but COVID-19 risks can be non-marginal; (2) VSL is estimated for the average resident, but COVID-19 mortality is concentrated among the elderly; and (3) the pandemic has caused substantial losses…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Government/Law | Preferences/Values | Infectious Diseases | Global -
ArticlePublication 2021COVID and the Age–VSL Relationship
In this article, the researchers explore the approach used to value COVID-19 mortality risk reductions …
In this article, the researchers explore the approach used to value COVID-19 mortality risk reductions in analyses of lockdowns and other policies. Many rely on a population-average estimate of the value per statistical life (VSL); others adjust VSL for life expectancy at the age of death. The article explores the implications of theory and empirical studies, which suggest that the relationship between age and VSL is uncertain; these uncertainties in turn may affect whether the…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Government/Law | Preferences/Values | Infectious Diseases | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2019Long-Term Cost-Effectiveness of Obesity Prevention Interventions in the Early Years of Life
This analysis estimated the long-term health benefits and health care cost-savings of reductions in body …
This analysis estimated the long-term health benefits and health care cost-savings of reductions in body mass index (BMI) for the Australian population of children aged between 2 and 5 years. A proportional multistate, multiple cohort, lifetable model estimated the health benefits and health care cost-savings related to hypothetical reductions in BMI, informed by a scoping review of systematic reviews reporting the effectiveness of obesity prevention interventions in preschool aged children. Results suggested significant potential for…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Economics/Finance | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine | Oceania -
ArticlePublication 2016Health and Economic Benefits of Public Financing of Epilepsy Treatment in India
This study uses extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) to evaluate the impact of three scenarios of …
This study uses extended cost-effectiveness analysis (ECEA) to evaluate the impact of three scenarios of publicly financed national epilepsy programs in India that provide (1) first line antiepilepsy drugs (AEDs), (2) first- and second-line AEDs, and (3) first- and second-line AEDs and surgery. Outcome measures include disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted, and cost per DALY averted. Economic benefit measures estimated include out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure averted and money-metric value of insurance. All three scenarios represent a…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Economics/Finance | Priority Setting/Ethics | Microsimulation | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health/Medicine | Asia & Pacific -
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…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Economics/Finance | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Mathematical Models | Infectious Diseases | Child/Nutrition | Global Governance | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Asia & Pacific -
ArticleWeb Portal 2017PLoS Collection: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections
Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than one million new sexually transmitted …
Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than one million new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) occur each day, incurring a very substantial burden of morbidity, mortality and additional infections. The pathogens responsible include bacteria, parasites and viruses, and intensive research is needed to address the substantial barriers to diagnosis and treatment of STIs, and the behavioral challenges of prevention. This PLOS collection, published in collaboration with WHO, focuses on global policy and systems…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Economics/Finance | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Mathematical Models | Dynamic Transmission | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific -
ArticlePublication 2017Revealed Willingness-to-Pay vs. Standard Cost-Effectiveness Thresholds
This study estimates the cost-effectiveness thresholds (CETs) of 16 HIV programs in South Africa. The …
This study estimates the cost-effectiveness thresholds (CETs) of 16 HIV programs in South Africa. The use of CETs based on a country’s income per capita has been criticized for not being grounded in theory or evidence, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). An alternative has been produced for South Africa, based on estimates of life years saved and the country’s committed HIV budget. The authors used a previously -published optimization method to estimate CETs,…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Economics/Finance | Preferences/Values | Priority Setting/Ethics | Infectious Diseases | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2017Cost-Effectiveness of Testing and Treatment for Latent TB
Testing for and treating latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is among the main strategies to achieve …
Testing for and treating latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is among the main strategies to achieve TB elimination in the United States. This analysis estimated health outcomes, costs, and cost-effectiveness of LTBI testing and treatment among non-US born residents with and without medical comorbidities (e.g., diabetes, HIV infection, and end-stage renal disease). A decision analytic tree and Markov cohort simulation model was used to compare the following strategies: no testing, tuberculin skin test (TST), interferon gamma release assay…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Economics/Finance | Test Performance | State-Transition | Microsimulation | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Global | North America -
ArticlePublication 2017Getting it Right When Budgets are Tight: Prioritizing Responses to HIV Epidemics
Prioritizing investments across health interventions is complicated by the nonlinear relationship between intervention coverage and …
Prioritizing investments across health interventions is complicated by the nonlinear relationship between intervention coverage and epidemiological outcomes. It can be difficult for countries to know which interventions to prioritize for greatest epidemiological impact, particularly when budgets are uncertain.The authors examined four case studies of HIV epidemics in diverse settings, each with different characteristics. These case studies were based on public data available for Belarus, Peru, Togo, and Myanmar. The Optima HIV model and software package…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Economics/Finance | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Mathematical Models | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific