Resources Repository
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ReviewPublication 2022Significance of Advanced COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing in Pandemic Control Measures
Over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community has mounted significant …
Over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community has mounted significant efforts to combat the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 virus. Despite substantial progress in vaccines and treatments, leading to lower hospitalization and death rates, the virus has continued to evolve, primarily through mutations. From the onset, diagnostic tests have been crucial in identifying and controlling the virus spread. The scientific world has pioneered various diagnostic techniques, including nucleic acid, antigen, and antibody-based…
Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | North America -
ArticlePublication 2022Comparison of Home Antigen Testing With RT-PCR and Viral Culture During the Course of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
As the availability of at-home self-collected antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 increases, understanding their efficacy is …
As the availability of at-home self-collected antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 increases, understanding their efficacy is crucial. A study in San Diego and Denver between January and May 2021 assessed the reliability of these tests against standard RT-PCR tests and viral cultures. Of the 225 participants with confirmed infections, the antigen test sensitivity was found to be 50% during the infectious period, 64% against the same-day RT-PCR, and 84% against the same-day cultures. Sensitivity was highest…
Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Clinical Care | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
ReviewPublication 2022Diagnostics for COVID-19: Moving from Pandemic Response to Control
Diagnostics are essential in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, with three primary methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 …
Diagnostics are essential in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, with three primary methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infections. Each test type remains vital as we shift from responding to controlling the pandemic. Molecular tests, like PCR, are highly precise in identifying viral RNA and are endorsed by the WHO for confirming cases and guiding public health actions. Antigen rapid tests spot viral proteins and, while less accurate than molecular tests, are quicker, more affordable, simpler, and can…
Test Performance | Infectious Diseases | Health Systems | Clinical Care | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
ArticlePublication 2023Valuing Mortality Risk: Per Life, Life Year, or QALY?
It is important to consider age and other relevant factors when assessing the value associated …
It is important to consider age and other relevant factors when assessing the value associated with reducing risks to ensure a comprehensive and accurate understanding of its impact. In a recent paper, it is explained that the value of risk reduction, whether it is a temporary or persistent reduction, can be defined using the "value per statistical life" (VSL), "value per statistical life year" (VSLY), or "value per quality-adjusted life year" (VQALY).
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Preferences/Values | Risk Analysis | Benefit-Cost Analysis -
ReviewPublication 2023Handbook of Vaccine Health Economics
The open-access book, "Handbook of Applied Health Economics in Vaccines," looks at the complexities of …
The open-access book, "Handbook of Applied Health Economics in Vaccines," looks at the complexities of vaccine discovery, financing, and distribution. It highlights the inadequacy of standard economic models for vaccines. The book explores alternative principles challenging market-based approaches and equips readers with tools for assessing costs and benefits through practical exercises. It serves as a comprehensive resource for decision-making in vaccine development and distribution and emphasizes the importance of considering broader perspectives beyond economic efficiency.…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Evidence Synthesis | Decision Analysis | Benefit-Cost Analysis | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine | Global | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional -
ArticlePublication 2023Out-of-Pocket Expenditures & Financial Risks Associated with Treatment of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Ethiopia
This study investigates out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures and associated catastrophic health expenditures (CHEs) for vaccine-preventable diseases …
This study investigates out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures and associated catastrophic health expenditures (CHEs) for vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in Ethiopia. Through a cross-sectional costing analysis, data on OOP direct medical and nonmedical expenditures were collected from 995 households in 54 health facilities nationwide. The study focuses on VPDs in children under 5 years for pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, and pertussis, and in children under 15 years for meningitis. Mean OOP expenditures per disease episode ranged from $5·6 to…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Costing Methods | Mathematical Models | Child/Nutrition | Chronic Disease/Risk | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2023Effects of Public Financing of Essential Maternal and Child Health Interventions Across Wealth Quintiles in Nigeria: An Extended Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
This study evaluates the potential health and financial risk protection benefits of public financing for …
This study evaluates the potential health and financial risk protection benefits of public financing for maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) interventions in Nigeria, focusing on different wealth quintiles. Employing extended cost-effectiveness analysis, the research assesses the impact of a policy ensuring zero out-of-pocket costs for 18 essential MNCH services. Three scenarios were modeled: status quo, uniform scale-up, and pro-poor scale-up. Findings suggest that a 5% increase in coverage for all quintiles could prevent significant…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health Outcomes | Mathematical Models | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Policy/Regulation | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
ArticlePublication 2023Cost-Effectiveness of Novel TB Vaccines: A Modeling Study
A modeling study assessed future costs, cost-savings, and cost-effectiveness of introducing novel tuberculosis (TB) vaccines …
A modeling study assessed future costs, cost-savings, and cost-effectiveness of introducing novel tuberculosis (TB) vaccines in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for a range of product characteristics and delivery strategies, compared to a ‘no-new-vaccine’ counterfactual. Vaccine scenarios considered two vaccine product profiles (one targeted at infants, one at adolescents/adults), both assumed to prevent progression to active TB. Vaccine introduction was estimated to require substantial near-term resources, offset by future cost-savings from averted TB burden.…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Mathematical Models | Infectious Diseases | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Global -
ArticlePublication 2022Health and Financial Risk Protection Outcomes in Economic Evaluations
Extended cost-effectiveness analysis was developed to evaluate health interventions in terms of level and distribution …
Extended cost-effectiveness analysis was developed to evaluate health interventions in terms of level and distribution of health gains and financial risk protection. This information is typically presented in a joint display format. This article develops and applies an algebraic money-metric formulation that incorporates all disaggregated outcomes and finds that ranking of health interventions is sensitive to the decision maker’s aversion to inequality across income groups and that financial risk protection gains are most important to…
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Priority Setting/Ethics | Chronic Disease/Risk | Social Determinants | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | Global