Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on HPV Vaccinations in Switzerland and Greece: Road to Recovery.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions to healthcare, including reduced administration of routinely recommended HPV vaccines in a number of European countries. Because the extent and trends of accumulated vaccine dose deficits may vary by country, decision-makers need country-specific information regarding vaccine deficits to plan effective catch-up initiatives. To address this knowledge gap in Switzerland and Greece, this study used a previously published COVID-19 recovery calculator and historical vaccine sales data to quantify the cumulative number of missed doses and the catch-up rate required to clear the deficit in Switzerland and Greece. The resultant cumulative deficit in HPV doses for Switzerland and Greece were 24.4% and 21.7%, respectively, of the total number of doses disseminated in 2019. To clear the dose deficit by December 2025, monthly vaccination rates must be increased by 6.3% and 6.0% compared to 2019 rates in Switzerland and Greece, respectively. This study demonstrates that administration rates of routine HPV vaccines decreased significantly among Swiss and Greek adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and that a sustained increase in vaccination rates is necessary to recover the HPV dose deficits identified and to prevent long-term public health consequences.

Economic evaluation of HPV DNA test as primary screening method for cervical cancer: A health policy discussion in Greece.

BACKGROUND: HPV test appears to be more effective in cervical cancer (CC) screening. However, the decision of its adoption as a primary screening method by substituting the established cytology lies in the evaluation of multiple criteria. Aim of this study is to evaluate the economic and clinical impact of HPV test as primary screening method for CC. METHODS: A decision tree and a Markov model were developed to simulate the screening algorithm and the natural history of CC. Fourteen different screening strategies were evaluated, for women 25-65 years old. Clinical inputs were drawn from the HERMES study and cost inputs from the official price lists. In the absence of CC treatment cost data, the respective Spanish costs were used after being converted to 2017 Greek values. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. RESULTS: All screening strategies, that offer as primary screening method triennial HPV genotyping (simultaneous or reflex) alone or as co-testing with cytology appear to be more effective than all other strategies, with regards to both annual CC mortality, due to missed disease (-10.1), and CC incidence(-7.5) versus annual cytology (current practice). Of those, the strategy with HPV test with simultaneous 16/18 genotyping is the strategy that provides savings of 1.050 million euros annually. However, when the above strategy is offered quinquennially despite the fact that outcomes are decreased it remains more effective than current practice (-7.7 deaths and -1.3 incidence) and more savings per death averted (1.323 million) or incidence reduced (7.837 million) are realized. CONCLUSIONS: HPV 16/18 genotyping as a primary screening method for CC appears to be one of the most effective strategies and dominates current practice in respect to both cost and outcomes. Even when compared with all other strategies, the outcomes that it generates justify the cost that it requires, representing a good value for money alternative.

Cost calculations during "dire straits": a cost-of-illness analysis of regular hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease in Greece.

PURPOSE: More than 3 million people worldwide suffer from end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Even though regular hemodialysis is considered very costly, it is still the most commonly used method of treatment in Greece. The aim of this study is to provide a current estimate of the annual patient cost for ESRD-related regular hemodialysis, especially during a period of economic instability for Greece. METHODS: Data was collected from 113 anonymous patient files from 3 dialysis units. The cost analysis includes the following parameters: hospitalization, disposable supplies, medication, meals, contaminants, human resources and equipment depreciation/utilization. RESULTS: The cost of a regular hemodialysis session was estimated at €177.12. Human resources account for 43.53% of the hemodialysis cost, while expendable supplies and medication account for 24.79% and 21.16%, respectively. The total annual cost of ESRD per patient was calculated at €34,012.31, which breaks down into €27,630.72 (81.24%) for hemodialysis, €4,800.64 (14.11%) for hospitalization, €1,454.84 (4.28%) for laboratory tests and €126.11 (0.37%) for microsurgery. CONCLUSIONS: ESRD entails a significant economic burden for the Greek health care system. In a current context of ongoing austerity measures, which severely pressure the health care budget, further research should be performed in order to identify possible ways to reduce costs and improve management of the disease.

Recommending organized screening programs for adults in Greece: a Delphi consensus study.

OBJECTIVE: In the absence of organized screening programs in Greece, the aim of this study is to propose a set of programs, which exhibit potential to improve health system's performance. METHODS: A literature review was conducted to identify those programs fulfilling certain screening evaluation criteria. Using Delphi method programs identified were evaluated by a multi-professional expert panel who were asked to provide their consent and recommendations for the implementation, target-group, rescreening interval, primary screening method and social insurance reimbursement level. Kuder-Richardson 20 and Cronbach's α were used for assessing internal consistency and number of rounds. RESULTS: The majority of experts supported the introduction of organized screening programs for breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, abdominal aortic aneurysm and vascular risk assessment. Major disagreements arose on the target-group of the colorectal cancer and abdominal aortic aneurysm program concerning age-limits. Experts argued that only those fulfilling programs' eligibility criteria or those referred should be reimbursed by social insurance. CONCLUSION: Recommended screening programs provide for the first time a comprehensive and consensus based proposal for the secondary prevention policy of the country. They are expected to contribute to the reduction of the disease burden from important health problems and to the optimum allocation of resources invested in health.