OBJECTIVE The lack of a standard methodology in diagnostic research impedes adequate evaluation before implementation of constantly developing diagnostic techniques. We discuss the methodology of diagnostic research and underscore the relevance of decision analysis in the process of evaluation of diagnostic tests. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING Overview and conceptual discussion. RESULTS Diagnost...

Background There has been scarcity of research to assess the costeffectiveness of rehabilitation interventions for post-stroke cases despite the increasing importance of this service to minimise post-stroke functional problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a carerassisted home-based therapy against a usual therapy for long-term stroke survivors residing in the...

OBJECTIVES School-based anti-tobacco education using the "social influences" model is known to reduce smoking among youth by 5-56%. Program effectiveness, however, dissipates in 1-4 years. Consequently, opinion leaders have questioned whether a more intensive national educational effort would be economically efficient. To address this question, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of enhanced na...

INTRODUCTION Financing of malaria control for displaced populations is limited in scope and duration, making cost-effectiveness analyses relevant but difficult. This study analyses cost-effectiveness of adding prevention through targeted indoor residual spraying (IRS) to case management in Afghan refugee settlements in Pakistan during a prolonged malaria epidemic. METHODS/FINDINGS An interven...

BACKGROUND Measles control has succeeded worldwide, and many countries have substantially reduced incidence and mortality. This has led to consideration of the feasibility of measles elimination in Uganda within the context of global eradication. Before an elimination program is initiated, it is important to consider its potential economic impact, including its cost-effectiveness. METHODS Inc...

As in the U.S., there is no unified national formulary in Saudi Arabia, so individual institutions must develop their own medication lists. A Saudi health system's strategy for maintaining formulary safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness is described.

To help reach the target of tuberculosis (TB) disease elimination by 2050, vaccine development needs to occur now. We estimated the impact and cost-effectiveness of potential TB vaccines in low- and middle-income countries using an age-structured transmission model. New vaccines were assumed to be available in 2024, to prevent active TB in all individuals, to have a 5-y to lifetime duration of ...

CONTEXT Effective community-based interventions are available to control hypertension. It is important to determine the economics of these interventions. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION Peer-reviewed studies from January 1995 through December 2015 were screened. Interventions were categorized into educational interventions, self-monitoring interventions, and screening interventions. Incremental cost-eff...

OBJECTIVES To determine the cost-effectiveness of the MobileMums intervention. MobileMums is a 12-week programme which assists mothers with young children to be more physically active, primarily through the use of personalised SMS text-messages. DESIGN A cost-effectiveness analysis using a Markov model to estimate and compare the costs and consequences of MobileMums and usual care. SETTING ...

Background There is limited evidence detailing the cost-effectiveness of psoriasis treatments in the Asian region. Therefore, this study is aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of 3 psoriasis treatments tailored for moderate to severe psoriasis, namely topical and phototherapy (TP), topical and systemic (TS), and topical and biologic (TB) regimens, respectively. Me...