BACKGROUND Although 900,000 HIV-infected South Africans receive antiretroviral therapy, the majority of South Africans with HIV remain undiagnosed. METHODS We use a published simulation model of HIV case detection and treatment to examine 3 HIV screening scenarios, in addition to current practice as follows: (1) one-time; (2) every 5 years; and (3) annually. South African model input data inc...

No one likes to admit that money matters in health care, but it does. One tool for comparing the cost of treatments or interventions, such as chemoprevention, is the cost-effectiveness study. A cost-effectiveness study compares the incremental cost of treatment to the incremental benefit. To determine cost per life-year gained, a researcher will take the cost of the treatment—usually determined...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Hospital mortality rates of 50% to 90% have been reported for stroke patients treated with mechanical ventilation. These data have raised serious questions about the cost-effectiveness of this intervention. We sought to determine how often stroke patients are mechanically ventilated, identify predictors of 30-day survival among ventilated patients, and evaluate the cost-e...

CONTEXT Patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy have increased mortality compared with the general population, but patients with pharmacoresistant temporal lobe epilepsy who meet criteria for surgery and who become seizure-free after anterior temporal lobe resection have reduced excess mortality vs those with persistent seizures. OBJECTIVE To quantify the potential survival benefit of anteri...

BACKGROUND Genomic tests may improve the stratification of patients to receive new therapies in several disease areas. However, the use of expensive targeted therapies can impact on the cost effectiveness of these tests. This study presents an economic evaluation of genomic testing in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in the context of the UK National Health Service. METHODS Cost-effectiveness an...

BACKGROUND Effective therapies for the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease-related events are significantly underused, and attempts to improve adherence have often yielded disappointing results. Elimination of patient out-of-pocket costs may be an effective strategy to enhance medication use. We sought to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness of providing full coverage for aspi...