Resources Repository
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ReportPublication 2015Modeling to Improve Policy Decisions in the Americas: Noncommunicable Diseases
In the Region of the Americas, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a clear threat not only …
In the Region of the Americas, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a clear threat not only to human health, but also to a country’s economic development and growth. The evidence on both of these counts is compelling. In 2012, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers, chronic respiratory conditions including asthma, and other NCDs were the cause of 4.5 million deaths in the Americas. Of that total number, 1.5 million of them were premature, occurring among people aged 30-69…
Decision Analysis | State-Transition | Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Mathematical Models | Microsimulation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Chronic Disease/Risk | Mental Health | Health/Medicine | Latin America & Caribbean -
BookPublication 2014Decision Making in Health and Medicine: Integrating Evidence and Values
Decision making in health care involves consideration of a complex set of diagnostic, therapeutic and …
Decision making in health care involves consideration of a complex set of diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic uncertainties. Medical therapies have side effects, surgical interventions may lead to complications, and diagnostic tests can produce misleading results. Furthermore, patient values and service costs must be considered. Decisions in clinical and health policy require careful weighing of risks and benefits and are commonly a trade-off of competing objectives: maximizing quality of life vs maximizing life expectancy vs minimizing…
Decision Analysis | Health Outcomes | Probability/Bayes | Preferences/Values | Costing Methods | Test Performance | Value of Information | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health Systems | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Global | North America | Europe | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Quantitative Literacy -
ArticlePublication 2013Health Benefits and Cost-Effectiveness of Strategies to Reduce Maternal Mortality in Afghanistan
This article, published in Health Policy and Planning, disaggregates data on pregnancies in Afghanistan to …
This article, published in Health Policy and Planning, disaggregates data on pregnancies in Afghanistan to evaluate health outcomes and cost-effectiveness of interventions related to childbirth. These interventions include antenatal care, family planning, skilled birth attendance, access to transport, referral facilities, and quality of overall care. Outcomes include pregnancy-related complications, maternal deaths, maternal mortality ratios, costs and cost-effectiveness ratios. The authors report that increasing family planning would be the most effective individual intervention. The model suggests…
State-Transition | Health Outcomes | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Asia & Pacific -
ArticlePublication 2012Health and Economic Outcomes of Interventions to Reduce Pregnancy-Related Mortality in Nigeria
This paper examines the cost-effectiveness and impact of individual and integrated packages of interventions aimed …
This paper examines the cost-effectiveness and impact of individual and integrated packages of interventions aimed to reduce maternal mortality in Nigeria, a country with extremely high maternal mortality rates. Using a previously validated model adapted to the Nigerian context, the study finds that an increase of access to family planning is the most effective individual strategy, which not only reduces pregnancy-related mortality but also proves to be economically efficient. However, relying solely on family planning…
State-Transition | Health Outcomes | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ReviewPublication 2011Simulation Models of Obesity: A Review of the Literature
Simulation models combine information from a variety of sources to provide a useful tool for …
Simulation models combine information from a variety of sources to provide a useful tool for examining how the effects of obesity unfold over time and impact population health. They can aid in the understanding of the complex interaction of the drivers of diet and activity and their relation to health outcomes. This paper provided an overview of different types of simulation models used to evaluate the potential impact of policies to address the obesity epidemic.…
Decision Analysis | State-Transition | Mathematical Models | Microsimulation | Calibration/Validation | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Economics/Finance | Food/Agriculture | Health/Medicine -
Lesson/ModuleWeb Portal, Teaching Resource 2011Economics of Health: How Do We Decide?
This learning module provides lessons about health economics containing activities, worksheets, notes, and answers on …
This learning module provides lessons about health economics containing activities, worksheets, notes, and answers on a number of skills in probability calculations. Using mathematics, these exercises engage students by tackling real world issues in health decision-making. These activities are recommended to be used together but can also be used independently. They are aimed at a high school learning level, age 16 or higher.
Decision Analysis | Health Outcomes | Priority Setting/Ethics | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | High School | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy -
ArticlePublication 2010Health and Economic Impact of Rotavirus Vaccination in GAVI-Eligible Countries
Rotavirus infection is responsible for about 500,000 deaths annually, and the disease burden is disproportionately …
Rotavirus infection is responsible for about 500,000 deaths annually, and the disease burden is disproportionately borne by children in low-income countries. Motivated by the global recommendation by the WHO that all countries include infant rotavirus vaccination in their national immunization programs, the objective of this analysis was to provide information on the expected health, economic and financial consequences of rotavirus vaccines in the 72 GAVI support-eligible countries. The authors synthesized population-level data from various sources (primarily from…
State-Transition | Health Outcomes | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Infectious Diseases | Child/Nutrition | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa | Middle East & North Africa | Latin America & Caribbean | Asia & Pacific -
ArticlePublication 2009Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative Pregnancy Termination Strategies in Mexico City
This study evaluated the health and economic outcomes associated with three alternative first-trimester abortion techniques …
This study evaluated the health and economic outcomes associated with three alternative first-trimester abortion techniques in Mexico City using a computer-based model to simulate induced abortion and its potential complications. Strategies included alternative modalities for first-trimester pregnancy termination: hospital-based dilatation and curettage (D&C), hospital-based manual vacuum aspiration (MVA), clinic-based MVA and medical abortion using vaginal misoprostol. Outcomes included number of complications, lifetime costs, life expectancy, and quality-adjusted life expectancy. Assuming all options were equally available,…
State-Transition | Health Outcomes | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Health/Medicine | Latin America & Caribbean -
ReviewPublication 2008Modeling Cervical Cancer Prevention in Developed Countries
Decision-analytic models are increasingly developed to simulate disease burden and interventions in different settings in …
Decision-analytic models are increasingly developed to simulate disease burden and interventions in different settings in order to evaluate the benefits and cost-effectiveness of primary and secondary interventions. This article is a review of mathematical models that have been used to evaluate HPV vaccination in the context of developed countries with existing screening programs. Despite variations in model assumptions and uncertainty in existing data, pre-adolescent vaccination of females in the setting of current screening practices has…
Dynamic Transmission | State-Transition | Mathematical Models | Microsimulation | Calibration/Validation | Infectious Diseases | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology