Rapid diagnostic tests for dengue would reduce hospitalizations, healthcare costs and antibiotic prescriptions in Spain: A cost-effectiveness analysis.

BACKGROUND: Current gold standard diagnostic techniques for dengue are expensive and time-consuming. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) have been proposed as alternatives, although data about their potential impact in non-endemic areas is scarce. METHODS: We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing the costs of dengue RDTs to the current standard of care for the management of febrile returning travelers in Spain. Effectiveness was measured in terms of potential averted hospital admissions and reduction of empirical antibiotics, based on 2015-2020 dengue admissions at Hospital Clinic Barcelona (Spain). RESULTS: Dengue RDTs were associated with 53.6% (95% CI: 33.9-72.5) reduction of hospital admissions and were estimated to save 289.08-389.31€ per traveler tested. Moreover, RDTs would have avoided the use of antibiotics in 46.4% (95% CI: 27.5-66.1) of dengue patients. DISCUSSION: Implementation of dengue RDTs for the management of febrile travelers is a cost-saving strategy that would lead to a reduction of half of dengue admissions and a reduction of inappropriate antibiotics in Spain.

Demands for Intersectoral Actions to Meet Health Challenges in East and Southern Africa and Methods for Their Evaluation.

OBJECTIVES: Focusing on the East, Central, and Southern African region, this study examines both regional and country-level initiatives aimed at promoting multisectoral collaboration to improve population health and the methods for their economic evaluation. METHODS: We explored the interventions that necessitate cooperation among policymakers from diverse sectors and the mechanisms that facilitate effective collaboration and coordination across these sectors. To gain insights into the demand for multisectoral collaboration in the East, Central, and Southern African region, we presented 3 country briefs, highlighting policy areas and initiatives that have successfully incorporated health-promoting actions from outside the health sector in Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Malawi. Additionally, we showcased initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Health in each country to foster coordination with national and international stakeholders, along with existing coordination mechanisms established for intersectoral collaboration. Drawing on these examples, we identified the primary challenges in the economic evaluation of multisectoral programs aimed at improving health in the region. RESULTS: We illustrated how decision making in reality differs from the traditional single-sector and single-decision-maker perspective commonly used in cost-effectiveness analyses. To ensure economic evaluations can inform decision making in diverse settings and facilitate regional collaboration, we highlighted 3 fundamental principles: identifying policy objectives, defining the perspective of the analysis, and considering opportunity costs. We emphasized the importance of adopting a flexible and context-specific approach to economic evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Through this work, we contribute to bridging the gap between theory and practice in the context of intersectoral activities aimed at improving health outcomes.

Field performance and cost-effectiveness of a point-of-care triage test for HIV virological failure in Southern Africa.

INTRODUCTION: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) monitoring using viral load (VL) testing is challenging in high-burden, limited-resources settings. Chemokine IP-10 (interferon gamma-induced protein 10) strongly correlates with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) VL. Its determination could serve to predict virological failure (VF) and to triage patients requiring VL testing. We assessed the field performance of a semi-quantitative IP-10 lateral flow assay (LFA) for VF screening in South Africa, and the cost-effectiveness of its implementation in Mozambique. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between June and December 2021 in three primary health clinics in the Western Cape. Finger prick capillary blood was collected from adults on ART for ≥1 year for direct application onto the IP-10 LFA (index test) and compared with a plasma VL result ≤1 month prior (reference test). We estimated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC), sensitivity and specificity, to evaluate IP-10 LFA prediction of VF (VL>1000 copies/ml). A decision tree model was used to investigate the cost-effectiveness of integrating IP-10 LFA combined with VL testing into the current Mozambican ART monitoring strategy. Averted disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and HIV acquisitions, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were estimated. RESULTS: Among 209 participants (median age 38 years and 84% female), 18% had VF. Median IP-10 LFA values were higher among individuals with VF compared to those without (24.0 vs. 14.6; p<0.001). The IP-10 LFA predicted VF with an AUC = 0.76 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67-0.85), 91.9% sensitivity (95% CI 78.1-98.3) and 35.1% specificity (95% CI 28.0-42.7). Integrating the IP-10 LFA in a setting with 20% VF prevalence and 61% VL testing coverage could save 13.0% of costs and avert 14.9% of DALYs and 55.7% new HIV acquisitions. Furthermore, its introduction was estimated to reduce the total number of routine VL tests required for ART monitoring by up to 68%. CONCLUSIONS: The IP-10 LFA is an effective VF triage test for routine ART monitoring. Combining a highly sensitive, low-cost IP-10 LFA-based screening with targeted VL confirmatory testing could result in significant healthcare quality improvements and cost savings in settings with limited access to VL testing.

Cost-effectiveness of community-based distribution of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy in Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

INTRODUCTION: Malaria in pregnancy is a major driver of maternal and infant mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO recommends the administration of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) at antenatal care (ANC) visits. Despite being a highly cost-effective strategy, IPTp-SP coverage and uptake remains low. A pilot project was conducted to assess the cost-effectiveness (CE) of community-based delivery of IPTp (C-IPTp) in addition to ANC delivery to increase IPTp uptake in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar (MDG), Mozambique (MOZ) and Nigeria (NGA). METHODS: Costs and CE estimates of C-IPTp were calculated according to two scenarios: (1) costs in 'programmatic mode' (ie, costs if C-IPTp was to be implemented by national health systems) and (2) costs from the pilot project. The effectiveness of C-IPTp was obtained through estimates of the averted disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) associated with maternal clinical malaria and anaemia, low birth weight and neonatal mortality. RESULTS: Net incremental costs of C-IPTp ranged between US$6138-US$47 177 (DRC), US$5552-US$31 552 (MDG), US$10 202-US$53 221 (MOZ) and US$667-US$28 645 (NGA) per 1000 pregnant women, under scenarios (1) and (2), respectively. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) ranged between US$15-US$119 in DRC, US$9-US$53 in MDG, US$104-US$543 in MOZ and US$2-US$66 in NGA per DALY averted, under scenarios (1) and (2), respectively. ICERs fall below the WHO recommended CE threshold based on the gross domestic product per capita. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that C-IPTp is a highly cost-effective intervention. Results can inform policy decisions on adopting and optimising effective interventions for preventing malaria in pregnancy.

The economic costs of malaria in pregnancy: evidence from four sub-Saharan countries.

Background Malaria in pregnancy is a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which imposes a significant economic burden. We provide evidence on the costs of malaria care in pregnancy to households and the health system in four high-burden countries in SSA.  Methods Household and health system economic costs associated with malaria control in pregnancy were estimated in selected areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar (MDG), Mozambique (MOZ) and Nigeria (NGA). An exit survey was administered to 2,031 pregnant women when leaving the antenatal care (ANC) clinic from October 2020 to June 2021. Women reported the direct and indirect costs associated to malaria prevention and treatment in pregnancy. To estimate health system costs, we interviewed health workers from 133 randomly selected health facilities. Costs were estimated using an ingredients-based approach. Results Average household costs of malaria prevention per pregnancy were USD6.33 in DRC, USD10.06 in MDG, USD15.03 in MOZ and USD13.33 in NGA. Household costs of treating an episode of uncomplicated/complicated malaria were USD22.78/USD46 in DRC, USD16.65/USD35.65 in MDG, USD30.54/USD61.25 in MOZ and USD18.92/USD44.71 in NGA, respectively. Average health system costs of malaria prevention per pregnancy were USD10.74 in DRC, USD16.95 in MDG, USD11.17 in MOZ and USD15.64 in NGA. Health system costs associated with treating an episode of uncomplicated/complicated malaria were USD4.69/USD101.41 in DRC, USD3.61/USD63.33 in MDG, USD4.68/USD83.70 in MOZ and USD4.09/USD92.64 in NGA. These estimates resulted in societal costs of malaria prevention and treatment per pregnancy of USD31.72 in DRC, USD29.77 in MDG, USD31.98 in MOZ and USD46.16 in NGA. Conclusions Malaria in pregnancy imposes a high economic burden on households and the health system. Findings emphasize the importance of investing in effective strategies that improve access to malaria control and reduce the burden of the infection in pregnancy.

Development of vaccines for Chagas disease (CRUZIVAX): stakeholders' preferences and potential impacts on healthcare.

A vaccine for Chagas disease does not currently exist. This study aims to inform the development of two vaccines for the prevention and treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection, and guide their pre-clinical phase up to clinical phase I. The three main objectives are: 1) to explore patients' and policy makers' preferences on the candidate vaccines in Argentina and Spain; 2) to investigate health-related quality of life of patients affected by Chagas disease; and 3) to assess the potential health provider savings associated with the vaccines, in terms of resource use and health care costs. Discrete choice experiments will be employed to estimate and characterize the theoretical demand for the vaccines and investigate patients' and policy makers' preferences. Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire. Resources use and costs associated with Chagas disease will be investigated using information from the databases of the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona.

Assessing the potential of HTA to inform resource allocation decisions in low-income settings: The case of Malawi.

Health technology assessment (HTA) offers a set of analytical tools to support health systems' decisions about resource allocation. Although there is increasing interest in these tools across the world, including in some middle-income countries, they remain rarely used in low-income countries (LICs). In general, the focus of HTA is narrow, mostly limited to assessments of efficacy and cost-effectiveness. However, the principles of HTA can be used to support a broader series of decisions regarding new health technologies. We examine the potential for this broad use of HTA in LICs, with a focus on Malawi. We develop a framework to classify the main decisions on health technologies within health systems. The framework covers decisions on identifying and prioritizing technologies for detailed assessment, deciding whether to adopt an intervention, assessing alternative investments for implementation and scale-up, and undertaking further research activities. We consider the relevance of the framework to policymakers in Malawi and we use two health technologies as examples to investigate the main barriers and enablers to the use of HTA methods. Although the scarcity of local data, expertise, and other resources could risk limiting the operationalisation of HTA in LICs, we argue that even in highly resource constrained health systems, such as in Malawi, the use of HTA to support a broad range of decisions is feasible and desirable.

Informing decisions with disparate stakeholders: cross-sector evaluation of cash transfers in Malawi.

The Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) in Malawi is a cross-sectoral policy with impacts on health, education, nutrition, agriculture and welfare. Implementation of the SCTP requires collaboration across sectors and across national and international stakeholders. Economic evaluation can inform investment by indicating whether benefits exceed costs, but economic evaluations that provide an overall benefit-cost ratio typically assume a common agreed objective and agreed set of value judgements. In reality, the various stakeholders involved in the delivery of the SCTP may have different remits and objectives and may differ in how they value the impacts of the programme. We use the SCTP as a case study to illustrate a cross-sectoral analytical framework that accounts for these differences. The stakeholders that contribute to the SCTP include the Ministry of Gender, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development and Global Fund. We estimate how the SCTP changes outcomes in education, health, net production and poverty, and distinguish outcomes in three groups: SCTP recipients; population in Malawi not eligible for the SCTP and population in other countries. After estimating the direct effects and opportunity costs from investing in the SCTP, we summarize the results according to different perspectives. The SCTP is estimated to provide benefits in excess of costs from the perspective of national stakeholders. From the perspective of an international donor interested in health outcomes, its health benefits do not outweigh the opportunity costs unless health improvement in SCTP recipients is valued at 18 times that of other potential spending beneficiaries or the donor values broader outcomes than health alone. This work illustrates the potential of a cross-sectoral economic evaluation to guide debate about stakeholder contributions to the SCTP, and the value judgements required to favour the SCTP above other policy options.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of public health interventions with impacts on health and criminal justice: An applied cross-sectoral analysis of an alcohol misuse intervention.

Cost-effectiveness analyses of health care programs often focus on maximizing health and ignore nonhealth impacts. Assessing the cost-effectiveness of public health interventions from a narrow health care perspective would likely underestimate their full impact, and potentially lead to inefficient decisions about funding. The aim of this study is to provide a practical application of a recently proposed framework for the economic evaluation of public health interventions, evaluating an intervention to reduce alcohol misuse in criminal offenders. This cross-sectoral analysis distinguishes benefits and opportunity costs for different sectors, makes explicit the value judgments required to consider alternative perspectives, and can inform heterogeneous decision makers with different objectives in a transparent manner. Three interventions of increasing intensity are compared: client information leaflet, brief advice, and brief lifestyle counseling. Health outcomes are measured in quality-adjusted life-years and criminal justice outcomes in reconvictions. Costs considered include intervention costs, costs to the NHS and costs to the criminal justice system. The results are presented for four different perspectives: "narrow" health care perspective; criminal justice system perspective; "full" health care perspective; and joint "full" health and criminal justice perspective. Conclusions and recommendations differ according to the normative judgment on the appropriate perspective for the evaluation.

Economic evaluation of interventions to address undernutrition: a systematic review.

Strategies to address undernutrition in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) include various interventions implemented through different sectors of the economy. Our aim is to provide an overview of published economic evaluations of such interventions and to compare and contrast evaluations of interventions in different areas. We reviewed economic evaluations of nutrition interventions in LMICs published since 2015 and/or included in the Tufts Global registry or Disease Control Priorities 3rd edition. We categorized the studies by intervention type (preventive; therapeutic; fortification; delivery platforms), nutritional deficiency addressed and characteristics of the economic evaluation (e.g. type of model, costs and outcomes included). Of the 62 economic evaluations identified, 56 (90%) were cost-effectiveness analyses. Twenty-two (36%) evaluations investigated fortification and 23 (37%) preventive interventions. Forty-three percent of the evaluations of preventive interventions did not include a model, whereas most of fortification strategies used the same reference model. We identified different trends in cost categories and inclusion of health and non-health outcomes across evaluations in the four different topic areas. To illustrate the implications of such trends for decision-making, we compared a set of studies evaluating alternative strategies to combat zinc deficiency. We showed that the use of 'off-the-shelf' models and tools can potentially conceal what outcomes and costs and value judgements are used. Comparing interventions across different areas is fundamental to assist decision-makers in developing their nutrition strategy. Systematic differences in the economic evaluations of interventions delivered within and outside the health sector can undermine the ability to prioritize alternative nutrition strategies.

Rationale for the Evaluation of Renal Functional Reserve in Living Kidney Donors and Recipients: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: In living kidney transplantation, preoperative donors' renal functional reserve (RFR) may correlate with postoperative residual renal function in both donors and recipients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the donors' RFR before transplantation and to compare basal and stress renal function before and after transplantation in both donors and recipients. METHODS: Seven pairs of living kidney donors and recipients were considered for this observational study. RFR was measured with a renal stress test (RST) before and after the kidney transplantation through an oral protein loading test (1 g/kg of body weight). RFR was defined as the difference between the maximum value of creatinine clearance after protein load (stress glomerular filtration rate, sGFR) and baseline creatinine clearance (basal GFR, bGFR). RESULTS: Before transplantation, a significant difference between sGFR and bGFR (p = 0.04) was observed in donors, with an RFR = 30.6 (11.9-41.5) mL/min/1.73 m2. After kidney transplantation, sGFR was similar to bGFR for both donors and recipients (p = 0.13), with a limited RFR (7.9 [6.70-19.25] and 14.90 [-6.67 to 25.53] mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively). The sum of the donor's and recipient's post-transplant sGFR was similar to the pre-transplant donor's sGFR (p = 0.73). CONCLUSION: RST is a safe, feasible, easy, and an inexpensive tool that is able to quantify RFR. In living kidney transplantation, it can be used in clinical practice to measure the original global filtration capacity of the donor's kidneys (sGFR) and to quantify the susceptibility of donors and recipients in developing postoperative kidney dysfunction. However, further studies with an adequate sample size and follow-up period are needed to test this hypothesis.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of online hemodiafiltration versus high-flux hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Clinical studies suggest that hemodiafiltration (HDF) may lead to better clinical outcomes than high-flux hemodialysis (HF-HD), but concerns have been raised about the cost-effectiveness of HDF versus HF-HD. Aim of this study was to investigate whether clinical benefits, in terms of longer survival and better health-related quality of life, are worth the possibly higher costs of HDF compared to HF-HD. METHODS: The analysis comprised a simulation based on the combined results of previous published studies, with the following steps: 1) estimation of the survival function of HF-HD patients from a clinical trial and of HDF patients using the risk reduction estimated in a meta-analysis; 2) simulation of the survival of the same sample of patients as if allocated to HF-HD or HDF using three-state Markov models; and 3) application of state-specific health-related quality of life coefficients and differential costs derived from the literature. Several Monte Carlo simulations were performed, including simulations for patients with different risk profiles, for example, by age (patients aged 40, 50, and 60 years), sex, and diabetic status. Scatter plots of simulations in the cost-effectiveness plane were produced, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were estimated, and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves were computed. RESULTS: An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €6,982/quality-adjusted life years (QALY) was estimated for the baseline cohort of 50-year-old male patients. Given the commonly accepted threshold of €40,000/QALY, HDF is cost-effective. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed that HDF is cost-effective with a probability of ~81% at a threshold of €40,000/QALY. It is fundamental to measure the outcome also in terms of quality of life. HDF is more cost-effective for younger patients. CONCLUSION: HDF can be considered cost-effective compared to HF-HD.

In vitro Cytotoxicity of Bisphenol A in Monocytes Cell Line.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Bisphenol A (BPA) is used in the production of many plastics, which are used to build biomaterials that sometimes are in direct contact with blood. It is believed that the release of BPA into bloodstream may give rise to cytotoxic events for blood components. The aim of the present study was to perform an in vitro investigation of the observable cytotoxic effect of BPA, at increasing concentrations, on the monocyte cell line. METHODS: We incubated in vitro monocyte cells (U937) for 24 h in cell line medium samples (RPMI 1640) at different concentrations of BPA. We then generated curves to evaluate viability, necrosis and apoptosis of monocytes against increasing concentrations of BPA. RESULTS: The percentage values of concentrations of BPA corresponding to 50% of the viability and necrosis of the monocytes were 1.39 and 1.48 ng/ml, respectively. Based on our observations, we reported an increasing cytotoxic effect for higher concentrations. The apoptotic effect reached the maximum value at BPA concentration of 1.5 ng/ml; at still higher concentrations, we observed a predominantly necrotic cell death. CONCLUSION: Viability, necrosis and apoptosis of monocytes are strongly and positively correlated with BPA concentration. A direct contact of such compound with biological components of blood may lead to high levels of cytotoxicity, and require us to evaluate additional factors while judging the bio-incompatibility of BPA.