Economic evaluation of automated external defibrillator deployment in public settings for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a major issue in aging populations. The use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places improves cardiac arrest survival rates. The purpose of this study is to review economic evaluation studies of the use of AED technology in public settings for cardiac arrest resuscitation. METHODS: Our search covered 1990-2021 and included PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. We included studies that analyzed cost-effectiveness, cost-utility and cost-benefit of the AED technology. Also, we performed the quality assessment of the studies through the checklist of quality assessment standard of health economic studies (QHES). RESULTS: Our inclusion criteria were met by 25 studies. AEDs are found to be cost-effective in places with a high occurrence of cardiac arrest. In addition, proper integration of drones with AEDs into existing systems has the potential to significantly improve OHCA survival rates. CONCLUSION: The present study found that putting AEDs in high-cardiac arrest and crowded areas reduces average costs. Despite this, the costs associated with acquiring and maintaining AEDs prevent their widespread use. Further research is needed to evaluate feasibility and explore innovative strategies for AED maintenance and accessibility.

Cost-Effectiveness of Atrial Fibrillation Screening Strategies: A Systematic Review.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. AF is associated with an increased risk of stroke. We aimed to review systematically the cost-effectiveness of screening strategies for patients with AF. Methods: To find related research and articles, articles published in Iranian and international databases by using a combination of MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terms and based on inclusion and exclusion criteria were searched and reviewed until Dec 2020. The main outcome measures of the final articles were incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) per gained or additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), additional case detected, and avoided stroke. Results: Out of 3,360 studies found, finally, fifteen studies were included in the research. The lowest ICER numerical value was 78.39 for AF screening using ECG for 65-85 yr old Japanese women. The highest value of this index is equal to 70864.31 for performing ECG monitoring for more than 60 d for Canadians over 80 yr without AF history. In two studies, the results were expressed with the years of life gained (YLG measure. Of course, in one study, the results were not reported with this measure, and in one study, the results were reported with ICER. Conclusion: Most of the studies acknowledged the cost-effectiveness of different AF screening strategies. However, studies that confirmed the cost-effectiveness of population-based screening were more than studies that confirmed the cost-effectiveness of other screening strategies.

An analysis of suicide rates in Kerman province, the largest province in Iran, before and after COVID-19: (2017-2020).

This study aimed to investigate the suicide incidence rate in Kerman before and after the pandemic and the characteristics of suicides. During four years, 642 suicide occurred in Kerman province. The suicide rate of suicide has increased in 2020 compared to previous years. Suicide among females, singles, people with bachelor's degrees, students, governmental, non-governmental occupations, and people without a history of mental illness, and suicide history increased in 2020. Identifying individuals at risk is crucial in order to get exceptional support from the government and society during crises like COVID-19.

Cost-effectiveness of remdesivir for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Remdesivir is being studied and used to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to systematically identify, critically evaluate, and summarize the findings of the studies on the cost-effectiveness of remdesivir in the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. METHODS: In this systematic review, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies published between 2019 and 2022. We included all full economic evaluations of remdesivir for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Data were summarized in a structured and narrative manner. RESULTS: Out of 616 articles obtained in this literature search, 12 studies were included in the final analysis. The mean score of the Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) for the studies was 87.66 (high quality). All studies were conducted in high-income countries (eight studies in the USA and one study in England), except for three studies from middle-to-high-income countries (China, South Africa, and Turkey). Six studies conducted their economic analysis in terms of a health system perspective; five studies conducted their economic analysis from a payer perspective; three studies from the perspective of a health care provider. The results of five studies showed that remdesivir was cost-effective compared to standard treatment. Furthermore, the therapeutic strategy of combining remdesivir with baricitinib was cost-effective compared to remdesivir alone. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of the present study, remdesivir appears to be cost-effective in comparison with the standard of care in China, Turkey, and South Africa. Studies conducted in the United States show conflicting results, and combining remdesivir with baricitinib is cost-effective compared with remdesivir alone. However, the cost-effectiveness of remdesivir in low-income countries remains unknown. Thus, more studies in different countries are required to determine the cost-effectiveness of this drug.

Cost Effectiveness of Adding Dapagliflozin to Standard Care in Heart Failure Patients with Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: Dapagliflozin, a new treatment option for heart failure, leads to a significant reduction in the hospitalization of patients with heart failure. We aimed to review studies on the economic evaluation of adding dapagliflozin to standard care compared with standard care alone in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). METHODS: For this systematic review, the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, and CEA Registry scientific databases were searched from 1 January 2020 to 25 March 2022. Two of the present researchers screened titles and abstracts, extracted data from full-text articles, and evaluated their quality using the Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) checklist for the quality assessment of health economic studies. RESULTS: Of the 456 abstracts screened, 19 studies met the inclusion criteria. The mean QHES score for the studies was 0.87 (high quality). Eight studies on cost-effectiveness analysis, ten studies on cost-utility analysis, and one study on cost-minimization analysis were conducted. Based on the available evidence and the present findings, the addition of dapagliflozin to standard care in patients with HFrEF was cost effective in most countries. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of the present study, the addition of dapagliflozin to standard care in patients with HFrEF was cost effective. More studies investigating the cost effectiveness of dapagliflozin in patients with HFrEF are required in light of the actual epidemiological data of countries in the relevant input parameters. It is also recommended to conduct cost-effectiveness studies of dapagliflozin taking into account costs and benefits from a societal perspective.

Economic evaluation of next-generation sequencing techniques in diagnosis of genetic disorders: A systematic review.

In recent years, massively parallel sequencing or next generation sequencing (NGS) has considerably changed both the research and diagnostic fields, and rapid developments have led to the combination of NGS techniques in clinical practice, ease of analysis, and detection of genetic mutations. This article aimed at reviewing the economic evaluation studies of the NGS techniques in the diagnosis of genetic diseases. In this systematic review, scientific databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, and CEA registry) were searched from 2005 to 2022 to identify the related literature on the economic evaluation of NGS techniques in the diagnosis of genetic diseases. Full-text reviews and data extraction were all performed by two independent researchers. The quality of all the articles included in this study was evaluated using the Checklist of Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES). Out of 20 521 screened abstracts, 36 studies met the inclusion criteria. The mean score of the QHES checklist for the studies was 0.78 (high quality). Seventeen studies were conducted based on modeling. Cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis, and cost-minimization analysis were done in 26 studies, 13 studies, and 1 study, respectively. Based on the available evidence and findings, exome sequencing, which is one of the NGS techniques, could have the potential to be used as a cost-effective genomic test to diagnose children with suspected genetic diseases. The results of the present study support the cost-effectiveness of exome sequencing in diagnosing suspected genetic disorders. However, the use of exome sequencing as a first- or second-line diagnostic test is still controversial. Most studies have been conducted in high-income countries, and research on the cost-effectiveness of NGS methods is recommended in low- and middle-income countries.

Economic evaluation of ferric carboxymaltose compared with placebo in iron-deficient patients with heart failure: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) improves symptoms and quality of life in iron-deficient patients with heart failure (HF). AIM: We aimed to systematically review studies conducted on the cost-effectiveness of FCM compared to placebo in iron-deficient patients with HF. METHOD: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science to find the relevant studies. After removing duplicates, two authors independently evaluated the titles, abstracts, and full texts. We included studies that investigated the full economic evaluations of FCM in HF patients with iron deficiency (cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis, and cost-benefit analysis) and used the CHEERS tool to evaluate the quality of the studies. RESULTS: Seven studies were included which evaluated the economic analysis of treatments with FCM in iron-deficient patients with HF. The CHEERS scores for most of the studies (n = 6) were 0.77 or higher (very good quality). The lowest incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) per quality-adjusted life years (QALY) of FCM ($1801.96) was from Italy, and the highest ICER per QALY of FCM ($25,981.28) South Korea. Results of the studies showed that FCM, compared to placebo, was cost-effective in iron-deficient patients with HF. CONCLUSION: FCM is a cost-effective treatment for iron-deficient patients with HF. Considering the fact that all the included studies in the present systematic review took place in high-income countries, we recommend further studies investigating the cost-effectiveness of FCM in low- and middle-income countries.

Cost-effectiveness of New Oral Anticoagulants for the Prevention of Stroke in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.

Background: Low- and middle-income (LMICs) countries are facing with a high incidence of cardiovascular diseases and limited resources for confronting these diseases. Atrial fibrillation(AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in the world that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This study assessed cost-effectiveness studies of novel oral anticoagulants(NOACs) compared to Warfarin for the prevention of stroke in patients with AF in LMICs. Methods: In this systematic review study, electronic databases were searched for economic evaluation studies about NOACs cost-effectiveness conducted in LMICs between 2008 and 2019. The selection of studies for review was also based on the PICO (population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes) guidelines. In this study, the population was restricted to patients with atrial fibrillation living in LMICs. We identified three types of drugs (apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, and edoxaban) as interventions and warfarin as the comparison therapy. Quality of Health Economic Studies checklist was used to evaluate the quality of the included articles. Results: Sixteen articles were extracted, including four cost-effectiveness analyses and two cost-utility analyses. QHES scores ranged from 58 to 87.5 out of a possible 100 points, with a mean score of 77.34. The results of the study showed that from a social perspective, Edoxaban is the most cost-effective therapeutic option compared to warfarin and other NOACs, but Warfarin was much more cost-effective than Rivaroxaban and Apixaban. Furthermore, NOACs were more cost-effective than warfarin from the payer perspective, but from the health system perspective, all NOACs were dominated by warfarin. Conclusion: The present systematic review demonstrates that from a social perspective, Edoxaban is the optimal alternative to warfarin other NOACs for stroke prevention in patients with AF in (LMICs). one study was found on the economic evaluation of NOACs and warfarin in patients with AF in low-income countries, so further research on the economic evaluation of these drugs is recommended.

Cost-effectiveness of osimertinib in the treatment of advanced EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The most common type of lung cancer is advanced and mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have reconstructed the care of these patients, the resistance of TKIs to the secondary EGFR-T790M mutation in advanced or metastatic NSCLC led to the introduction of the third generation of them, like osimertinib. Osimertinib has represented a remarkable increase in progression-free survival (PFS) and a decrease in death and hazard ratios in patients with required T790 mutation and sensitizing EGFR mutation without T790M. We aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of osimertinib for the treatment of these patients compared to chemotherapy or immunotherapy with the last generations of EGFR-TKIs. AREAS COVERED: Electronic searches were conducted on PubMed, Embase, Science Direct, Scopus, , Web of Knowledge, NHSEED, NHS Health Technology assessment (CRD), and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Registry databases. Related articles were reviewed from January 2015 to the end of August 2020. Out of 2708 initial studies, 10 articles had the inclusion criteria. EXPERT OPINION: Although osimertinib improves the quality of life and PFS for the mentioned patients based on its greater efficacy compared to standard EGFR-TKIs and chemotherapy, its high cost prevents considering it a cost-effective option. And, since most entered studies have been done in developed countries, it certainly does not true to extend these results to low-income and developing countries. Therefore, further studies in those countries are needed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of osimertinib for sensitizing EGFR mutation without T790M and required T790M in advanced or metastatic NSCLC.

Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in patients with epilepsy during COVID-19: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 pandemic disease has profound consequences for physical and mental health. In this regard, health care for chronic diseases, especially epilepsy is neglected The purpose of this systematic review study was to investigate the epidemic effect of COVID-19 on increasing the prevalence of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders in people with epilepsy (PWE). METHODS: We systematically searched MEDLINE, Cochrane, Embase, Web of science, Scopus, and Psych info databases for studies that estimate the prevalence of mental disorders in PWE during the COVID-19 until December 2020. Inclusion criteria included samples of population, with a confirmed diagnosis of epilepsy. RESULTS: Irrespective of PWE or people without epilepsy (PWOE), all experienced stress and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the studies showed that PWE and even PWOE during the pandemic, suffer from depression. The highest rate of depression was attributed to female PWE with financial problems (66.7%) and the lowest rate of depression in PWE was reported in 8.6%. 7.1-71.2% and 28.2% of patients reported sleep disorders and insomnia, respectively. Less than 2% experienced a sleep improvement. LIMITATIONS: Due to a large amount of heterogeneities across the results, we could not evaluate the exact rate of prevalence in spite of using effective measures. CONCLUSIONS: People with epilepsy were considered as a susceptible group to the impact of the pandemic. Therefore, great attention should be paid to PWE and adequate psychological supports provided in this period to relieve or inhibit risks to mental health in PWE.

Economic Evaluation of New Oral Anticoagulants in Prevention of Venous Thrombosis Following Joint Replacement Surgery: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: The main purpose of prescribing oral anticoagulants in patients undergoing total knee and total hip replacement surgery is to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE). The present study aimed to summarize evidence from economic evaluations regarding new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) used in VTE prophylaxis after joint replacement surgery. METHODS: To obtain relevant literature on economic evaluations of NOACs used in the prevention of VTE following joint replacement surgery, we searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus, as well as specialized economic evaluation databases, for articles published from January 2008 to December 2019. Next, 2 reviewers screened the titles and abstracts of studies, extracted data from the full-text articles, and assessed the quality of the methodologies using the Quality of Health Economic Studies checklist. FINDINGS: Twenty-eight studies of economic evaluations met the inclusion criteria of the research. The quality assessment showed that 20 articles had scores within the range of 75 to 100 (high quality), and 9 studies had scores within the range of 50 to 74 (moderate quality). All of the identified studies had been carried out based on modelling, and 23 studies used decision trees to model acute events after surgery. In addition, 20 studies utilized a Markov model to capture long-term complications of VTE. The results showed that rivaroxaban was more cost-effective than apixaban and dabigatran from a perspective of the health care system in the prevention of VTE after total knee and total hip replacement surgery. In addition, apixaban was associated with a lower risk for bleeding events than other NOACs, making it the most cost-effective NOAC from the perspective of the payer. IMPLICATIONS: The results suggest that NOACs are cost-effective alternatives to low-molecular-weight heparins. Rivaroxaban and dabigatran were assessed as the most and least cost-effective prophylaxis options, respectively, after joint replacement surgery for the prevention of VTE. It is recommended that future research be conducted on economic evaluations of edoxaban.

Economic evaluation of programs against COVID-19: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has become a public health emergency and raised global concerns in about 213 countries without vaccines and with limited medical capacity to treat the disease. The COVID-19 has prompted an urgent search for effective interventions, and there is little information about the money value of treatments. The present study aimed to summarize economic evaluation evidence of preventing strategies, programs, and treatments of COVID-19. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We searched Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science Core Collection, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar, and specialized databases of economic evaluation from December 2019 to July 2020 to identify relevant literature to economic evaluation of programs against COVID-19. Two researchers screened titles and abstracts, extracted data from full-text articles, and did their quality assessment by the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist. Then, quality synthesis of results was done. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies of economic evaluations met our inclusion criteria. The CHEERS scores for most studies (n = 9) were 85 or higher (excellent quality). Eight studies scored 70 to 85 (good quality), eight studies scored 55 to 70 (average quality), and one study < %55 (poor quality). The decision-analytic modeling was applied to twenty-three studies (88%) to evaluate their services. Most studies utilized the SIR model for outcomes. In studies with long-time horizons, social distancing was more cost-effective than quarantine, non-intervention, and herd immunity. Personal protective equipment was more cost-effective in the short-term than non-intervention. Screening tests were cost-effective in all studies. CONCLUSION: The results suggested screening tests and social distancing to be cost-effective alternatives in preventing and controlling COVID-19 on a long-time horizon. However, evidence is still insufficient and too heterogeneous to allow any definite conclusions regarding costs of interventions. Further research as are required in the future.

Study of health resource and health outcomes: Organization of economic corporation and development panel data analysis.

CONTEXT: There are numerous factors which affect the health status in different ways, including financing mechanisms, health-care expenditures, socioeconomic characteristics, and health-care resources. One of the most important factors which contribute to the health status of a population is health-care resource which includes number of beds or health-care professionals for instance. AIMS: The objectives of this study were as follows: to examine the regression of the life expectancy and health-care inputs and also to investigate the regression of death rate and health-care inputs. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study was a panel dataset analysis of OECD countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A generalized method of moment (GMM) regression models with country-level health outcomes (death rate and life expectancy) as dependent variables were estimated. A panel dataset with n = 26 (the number of countries) and T = 12 (the number of time periods) was used. The GMM regression model was used to estimate the effect of health-care resources on health outcomes. RESULTS: Findings showed that there are strong reverse correlations between immunization rate and number of physicians with crude rate of death (-2.64 [P < 001] and -76.50 [P < 001], respectively). There were also positive correlations between immunization rate and number of physicians with life expectancy at birth (0.01 [P < 001] and 1.03 [P < 001], respectively). Moreover, there were negative correlations between inpatient rate and beds with life expectancy (-0.00003 [P < 001] and -0.12 [P < 001], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: It is essential for policymakers to consider the optimal level of health resource to achieve better health outcomes. Oversupply of hospital beds and specialist doctors could lead to induced demand and put the patients at risk of unnecessary procedures.

STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT IN HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT AT NATIONAL LEVEL: A STUDY FROM IRAN.

OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to evaluate the opinions of stakeholders on their roles in health technology assessment (HTA) in Iran and to determine the barriers and facilitators existing in the organizations to help increase their involvement in the HTA program. METHODS: The study was conducted in two stages, semi-structured interviews, and "policy dialogue" with stakeholders. The data were analyzed through the framework approach. RESULTS: The interviews were held with ten stakeholder representatives from various organizations. In addition, Twenty-one representatives participated in the policy dialogue. Based on the findings, all the stakeholder organizations considered themselves as interest groups in all the stages of the HTA process; however, their tendencies and methods of involvement differed from one another. According to the participants, the most important issue to be considered in the context of HTA was that the structures, stages, and procedures of the HTA process must be made transparent. CONCLUSIONS: Stakeholder involvement in the HTA program cannot readily take place. Various stakeholders have different interests, responsibilities, infrastructures, and barriers. If a program does not meet these considerations, its chances of succeeding will substantially decrease. Therefore, to prevent overlooking the needs and expectations of stakeholders from the HTA process, it is essential to create opportunities in which their thoughts and ideas are taken into account.