Resources Repository
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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…
Health Systems | Probability/Bayes | Decision Analysis | Preferences/Values | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Test Performance | Value of Information | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Economics/Finance | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Global | North America | Europe | Graduate | Doctoral | Professional | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Quantitative Literacy -
ArticlePublication 2022Hospital Closures amid COVID-19
The recent trend of hospital closures in the US has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, …
The recent trend of hospital closures in the US has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, as hospitals have experienced financial hardship from reduced patient volume and elective surgery cases, as well as the thin financial margins for treating patients with COVID-19. This trend of hospital closures is concerning for patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers. This current opinion piece describes the challenges caused by hospital closures and discusses what policymakers should know based on the existing…
Health Systems | Operations Research | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2021Employee Health Plans Powered by Analytics
This article describes a business model for the employee health plans of large firms to …
This article describes a business model for the employee health plans of large firms to bypass insurers and instead use direct contracts with hospitals which have been designated as centers of excellence. The authors propose methods of machine learning and data analytics to identify efficient and effective delivery systems, with the ultimate goal of improving health care quality.
Health Systems | Operations Research | North America -
ArticlePublication 2020Infectious Disease Pandemic Planning and Response: Incorporating Decision Analysis
During a pandemic, decisions must be made under rapidly changing, uncertain conditions. Despite advances in …
During a pandemic, decisions must be made under rapidly changing, uncertain conditions. Despite advances in analytical methods for gaining early situational awareness (i.e., of a disease’s transmissibility and severity) and for predicting the likely effectiveness of interventions, a major gap exists globally in terms of integrating this information in policy documents. The authors argue that mathematical and statistical models are important tools for pandemic planning and response. Once an outbreak of pandemic potential has been…
Health Systems | Decision Analysis | Mathematical Models | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Global -
EditorialPublication 2020Waiting for Certainty on COVID-19 Antibody Tests — At What Cost?
This perspective anticipates the availability of serologic antibody testing and considers its potential usefulness in mitigation …
This perspective anticipates the availability of serologic antibody testing and considers its potential usefulness in mitigation policy to reduce COVID-19 transmission. For example: Could we screen for serologic antibodies as a proxy for possible immunity and identify people who could return to the workplace with less severe mitigation measures? The authors acknowledge the uncertainties raised by many policy actors, including the WHO, such as, "Do antibodies confer immunity and, if so, for how long? How accurate is…
Health Systems | Probability/Bayes | Test Performance | Technology Assessment | Infectious Diseases | Policy/Regulation | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Global | North America -
ArticlePublication 2019Modelling Hospital Operations from Paper Registry Data
This article, published in BMJ Global Health, aims to evaluate operations management techniques, which are …
This article, published in BMJ Global Health, aims to evaluate operations management techniques, which are underutilized in the Ethiopian health system. Previous research has outlined the limitations of paper-based patient records, but few studies have examined their potential utility for improving management of hospital operations. The authors use data collected from paper registries in an Ethiopian obstetrics ward at Addis Ababa’s Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia’s largest university hospital, to model the ward’s operations. The…
Health Systems | Operations Research | Mathematical Models | Maternal/Reproductive Health | Health/Medicine | Sub-Saharan Africa -
Lesson/ModuleVideo, Teaching Resource 2018Introduction to Effectiveness, Patient Preferences, and Utilities
This video is intended to provide an introduction to the concept of the quality-adjusted life …
This video is intended to provide an introduction to the concept of the quality-adjusted life year or QALY as well as preference measurement. Descriptions of the several techniques that can be used for measuring QALYs in economic evaluations are presented. This video is part of the Conducting Cost-Effectiveness Analysis with VA Data (HCEA) free course offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development group focused on cost-effectiveness analysis and budget…
Health Systems | Decision Analysis | Preferences/Values | Health/Medicine | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy -
Lesson/ModuleVideo, Teaching Resource 2018An Overview of Decision Analysis
This video is intended to provide high-level overview of the field of decision analysis and …
This video is intended to provide high-level overview of the field of decision analysis and presents topics that include: why engage in decision analysis; what are the differences between cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and budget impact analysis; and different ways to conduct a decision analysis – such as modeling or measuring alongside a clinical trial. This video is part of the Conducting Cost-Effectiveness Analysis with VA Data (HCEA) free course offered by the…
Health Systems | Decision Analysis | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health/Medicine | North America | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Decision Making/Leadership | Quantitative Literacy -
Teaching PackPublication, Teaching Resource 2022Teaching Pack: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis III
In this teaching pack on Economic Evaluation: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis III, students are introduced to the …
In this teaching pack on Economic Evaluation: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis III, students are introduced to the different types of costs that are included in a cost-effectiveness analysis and learn how the perspective of the analysis helps to determine which costs would be included. Additionally, students learn the three basic steps to costing, identifying costs, measuring costs, and valuing costs, and become familiar with the recommendations of both the original and the more recent Panel on Cost-Effectiveness…
Health Systems | Decision Analysis | Costing Methods | Evidence Synthesis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | College | Graduate | Doctoral | Critical Thinking/Analysis | Quantitative Literacy