Resources Repository
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ArticlePublication 2020Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies
Antibody testing can determine previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus. Recently, the UK government has made …
Antibody testing can determine previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus. Recently, the UK government has made antibody testing available to anyone wanting it, even if there is no clinical indication. The purpose of this article is to provide guidance for when to consider antibody testing in individuals with and without symptoms suggestive of current or past SARS-CoV-2 infection. Key points made by the authors include: (1) antibody testing is likely to be most useful 2 weeks…
Probability/Bayes | Health/Medicine | Test Performance | Technology Assessment | Infectious Diseases | Clinical Care -
ArticlePublication 2020Burden of Household OOP Health Expenditures
This article, published in Health Policy and Planning, estimates the incidence of catastrophic and impoverishing …
This article, published in Health Policy and Planning, estimates the incidence of catastrophic and impoverishing health expenditures using data from the 2015/16 Ethiopian household consumption and expenditure and welfare monitoring surveys. The authors compute the incidence of catastrophic health expenditures (CHE) at 10% and 25% thresholds of total household consumption and 40% threshold of household capacity to pay. Impoverishing health expenditures (IHE) are calculated using Ethiopia's national poverty line (ETB 7184 per adult per year).…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Health Systems | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2020Economic Evaluation of HBV Birth Dose Vaccination
This article, published in Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, examines the cost-effectiveness of a birth …
This article, published in Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, examines the cost-effectiveness of a birth dose of HBV vaccine in a medical setting in Ethiopia. The authors construct a decision analytic model with a Markov process to estimate the costs and effects of a birth dose of HBV vaccine, compared with current practices in Ethiopia. Based on the cost-effectiveness findings, introducing a birth dose of HBV vaccine in Ethiopia would likely be highly cost-effective. Such…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2020Bayes' Theorem, COVID-19, and Screening Tests
This article reviews the implications of increased testing for COVID-19 using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain …
This article reviews the implications of increased testing for COVID-19 using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) through the application of Bayes’ Theorem for three hypothetical, stylized case scenarios. The scenarios involve three patients with a low, moderate, and high pre-test probability of COVID-19 infection. The category of low probability would include "asymptomatic individuals in a presumed low prevalence environment" and might vary from 10 to 20%. The category of moderate probability would include "individuals…
Probability/Bayes | Health/Medicine | Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Clinical Care -
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 | Health/Medicine | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Economics/Finance | Oceania -
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…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Asia & Pacific -
ArticlePublication 2020Clinical Decision Making: Using a Diagnostic Test
This article is part of a 6-part series on clinical decision making. The authors use …
This article is part of a 6-part series on clinical decision making. The authors use two clinical examples to review the principles of interpreting diagnostic test results. They outline an approach that can be used to determine how to select and apply tests and their results to the practice of internal medicine. Topics covered in the two case studies include sensitivity and specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive value of tests, and how to estimate…
Probability/Bayes | Health/Medicine | Test Performance | Clinical Care -
ArticlePublication 2020Financial Burden of HIV and TB
This article, published in BMJ Open, aims to estimate the household economic burden and incidence …
This article, published in BMJ Open, aims to estimate the household economic burden and incidence of catastrophic health expenditures (CHE) incurred as a result of HIV and TB care across income quintiles in Ethiopia. The economic burden of HIV and TB care is estimated looking at direct and indirect costs, whereas the incidence of CHE is determined using direct costs that exceed 10% of the household income threshold. HIV and TB are found to cause…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Sub-Saharan Africa -
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.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | Priority Setting/Ethics | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Asia & Pacific