The Cost of Saving a Statistical Life: A Case for Influenza Prevention and Control

2011 ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Sproul ◽  
David Zilberman ◽  
David Roland-Holst ◽  
Joachim Otte
Keyword(s):  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Statistical Life ◽  
Influenza Prevention ◽  
The Cost ◽  
And Control

Will Routine Annual Influenza Prevention and Control Systems Serve the United States Well in a Pandemic?

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (S2) ◽  
pp. S160-S165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne S. Ringel ◽  
Melinda Moore ◽  
John Zambrano ◽  
Nicole Lurie
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Pandemic Preparedness ◽  
The Public ◽  
Influenza Prevention ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACTObjective: To assess the extent to which the systems in place for prevention and control of routine annual influenza could provide the information and experience needed to manage a pandemic.Methods: The authors conducted a qualitative assessment based on key informant interviews and the review of relevant documents.Results: Although there are a number of systems in place that would likely serve the United States well in a pandemic, much of the information and experience needed to manage a pandemic optimally is not available.Conclusions: Systems in place for routine annual influenza prevention and control are necessary but not sufficient for managing a pandemic, nor are they used to their full potential for pandemic preparedness. Pandemic preparedness can be strengthened by building more explicitly upon routine influenza activities and the public health system’s response to the unique challenges that arise each influenza season (eg, vaccine supply issues, higher than normal rates of influenza-related deaths). (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2009;3(Suppl 2):S160–S165)

scholarly journals Brief communication (Original). Effectiveness of influenza control using nonpharmaceutical interventions at primary schools in Nakhon Phanom Province, Northeast Thailand

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nutcharat Mangklakeree ◽  
Somdej Pinitsoontorn ◽  
Sompong Srisaenpang
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Hand Washing ◽  
Morbidity Rate ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Teaching Aids ◽  
Influenza Prevention ◽  
And Control

AbstractBackground: The world is entering the post-outbreak period of the 2009 A H1N1 strain of the influenza virus. The strain is expected to continue spreading, as seasonal influenza viruses do each year. The majority of children have relatively low immunity and engage in activities at school where opportunities abound for exposure to and spreading of diseases.Objectives: We compared the effectiveness of influenza prevention by using non-pharmaceutical measures in primary schools.Methods: This study was conducted at two medium-sized primary schools in Nakhon Phanom province, Thailand. Multistage sampling was used to select students from Grades 4 to 6. The study group consisted of 230 students from the 2 schools and the control group 224 students from the 2 schools. The research included (a) 8 h of instruction on influenza-like illnesses and their prevention integrated into health promotion and physical education classes and (b) building understanding among parents and in the community. Data were analyzed for frequencies, percentages, and multiple logistic regression.Results: Non-pharmaceutical influenza interventions reduced the rate of influenza-like illnesses by 77% (AOR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.15"0.36). Students who did not receive the influenza-like prevention and control training had a morbidity of 54.9%; whereas those who received the training had a morbidity of 23.5%. Overall, the group receiving the educational model saw a 57% reduction in its morbidity compared with the control group. The students in the intervention group who washed their hands for 20 seconds three or more times per day had a morbidity of 38.9%, which resulted in an overall reduction in morbidity of 36.4%. The morbidity rate of students who missed school because they were ill was 39.5%. When comparing training methods, the hand-washing group saw morbidity reduced by 34.7%, while simply receiving news and information from public health officials resulted in only a 29.2% reduction in morbidity. Overall, the group receiving the disease prevention and control training was able to reduce morbidity by 58.7%.Conclusion: Influenza prevention education among students was integrated into the health education curriculum. Children were taught hand-washing and respiratory etiquette (i.e., covering the nose and face when sneezing, coughing, and nose-blowing). Cartoon media were used as visual teaching aids. The results from this program helped to decrease the number of cases of influenza-like illness and morbidity among students and families.

ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF AN INFLUENZA IMMUNIZATION STRATEGY OF HEALTHY CHILDREN

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 394-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghann Gregg ◽  
Gordon Blackhouse ◽  
Mark Loeb ◽  
Ron Goeree
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Healthy Population ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Influenza Immunization ◽  
Influenza Prevention ◽  
The Cost ◽  
And Control

Objectives: Vaccinating healthy children is proposed as a strategy to produce a herd effect and protect vulnerable groups. The Hutterite Influenza Prevention Study investigated this strategy, comparing communities with or without childhood influenza immunization programs. There are costs associated with vaccination therefore there may be a trade-off between these costs and the benefits of avoiding influenza cases. This evaluation estimates the cost-effectiveness of immunizing only healthy children in preventing cases of influenza within entire communities.Methods: Effect data and resource utilization were collected during the trial. Cost data were collected from payer, literature and Internet sources. A two-stage bootstrap (TSB) with shrinkage correction was used to estimate average costs and effects. The incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) and sample uncertainty around this estimate were calculated from the TSB results.Results: Mean costs per patient for the treatment and control arms were $69.07 and $32.66 (difference $36.41). Mean number of influenza cases for the treatment and control arms were 0.04 and 0.27 (difference 0.23). ICER was $164.12 ($28.38, $2767.75) per case of influenza averted.Conclusions: Immunizing healthy children for influenza is more costly, yet more effective than no immunization in preventing cases in the sample. At a cost of $164.12 to prevent a case of influenza, immunizing healthy children to protect all community members may be considered costeffective. Estimated results are conservative as the influenza season was mild and the sample population was healthy. In a more severe season with a less healthy population the ICER is expected to decrease.

scholarly journals Economic evaluation of Health Extension Program packages in Ethiopia

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246207
Author(s):  
Lelisa Fekadu Assebe ◽  
Wondesen Nigatu Belete ◽  
Senait Alemayehu ◽  
Elias Asfaw ◽  
Kora Tushune Godana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Unit Cost ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Health Extension Program ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Cost ◽  
And Control ◽  
Extension Program

Background Ethiopia launched the Health Extension Program (HEP) in 2004, aimed at ensuring equitable community-level healthcare services through Health Extension Workers. Despite the program’s being a flagship initiative, there is limited evidence on whether investment in the program represents good value for money. This study assessed the cost and cost-effectiveness of HEP interventions to inform policy decisions for resource allocation and priority setting in Ethiopia. Methods Twenty-one health care interventions were selected under the hygiene and sanitation, family health services, and disease prevention and control sub-domains. The ingredient bottom-up and top-down costing method was employed. Cost and cost-effectiveness were assessed from the provider perspective. Health outcomes were measured using life years gained (LYG). Incremental cost per LYG in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of Ethiopia (US$852.80) was used to ascertain the cost-effectiveness. All costs were collected in Ethiopian birr and converted to United States dollars (US$) using the average exchange rate for 2018 (US$1 = 27.67 birr). Both costs and health outcomes were discounted by 3%. Result The average unit cost of providing selected hygiene and sanitation, family health, and disease prevention and control services with the HEP was US$0.70, US$4.90, and US$7.40, respectively. The major cost driver was drugs and supplies, accounting for 53% and 68%, respectively, of the total cost. The average annual cost of delivering all the selected interventions was US$9,897. All interventions fall within 1 times GDP per capita per LYG, indicating that they are very cost-effective (ranges: US$22–$295 per LYG). Overall, the HEP is cost-effective by investing US$77.40 for every LYG. Conclusion The unit cost estimates of HEP interventions are crucial for priority-setting, resource mobilization, and program planning. This study found that the program is very cost-effective in delivering community health services.

scholarly journals Agricultural Household Response to Avian Influenza Prevention and Control Policies

2007 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Beach ◽  
Christine Poulos ◽  
Subhrendu K. Pattanayak
Keyword(s):  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Trade Restrictions ◽  
Agricultural Household ◽  
Bird Mortality ◽  
Influenza Prevention ◽  
Prevention And Control Measures ◽  
And Control

Recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Asia, Europe, and Africa have caused severe impacts on the poultry sector through bird mortality and culling, as well as resulting trade restrictions and negative demand shocks. Although poultry producers play a major role in preventing and controlling avian influenza, little research has examined the influence of their farm-level decision making on the spread of the disease. In this study, we describe farm behavior under livestock disease risk and discuss data and analyses necessary to generate sound empirical evidence to inform public avian influenza prevention and control measures.

scholarly journals A pre-pandemic COVID-19 assessment of the costs of prevention and control interventions for healthcare associated infections in medical and surgical units in Québec

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Tchouaket ◽  
Stephanie Robins ◽  
Sandra Boivin ◽  
Drissa Sia ◽  
Kelley Kilpatrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Healthcare Associated Infections ◽  
Median Cost ◽  
Healthcare Associated ◽  
The Cost ◽  
And Control

Abstract Background Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) present a major public health problem that significantly affects patients, health care providers and the entire healthcare system. Infection prevention and control programs limit HCAIs and are an indispensable component of patient and healthcare worker safety. The clinical best practices (CBPs) of handwashing, screening, hygiene and sanitation of surfaces and equipment, and basic and additional precautions are keystones of infection prevention and control (IPC). Systematic reviews of IPC economic evaluations report the lack of rigorous empirical evidence demonstrating the cost-benefit of IPC program in general, and point to the lack of assessment of the value of investing in CBPs more specifically. Objective This study aims to assess overall costs associated with each of the four CBPs. Methods Across two Quebec hospitals, 48 healthcare workers were observed for two hours each shift, for two consecutive weeks. A modified time-driven activity-based costing framework method was used to capture all human resources (time) and materials required (e.g. masks, cloths, disinfectants) for each clinical best practice. Using a hospital perspective with a time horizon of one year, median costs per CBP per hour, as well as the cost per action, were calculated and reported in 2018 Canadian dollars. Sensitivity analyses were performed. Results A total of 1831 actions were recorded. The median cost of hand hygiene (N = 867) was 19.6 cents per action. For cleaning and disinfection of surfaces (N = 102), the cost was 21.4 cents per action, while cleaning of small equipment (N = 85) was 25.3 cents per action. Additional precautions median cost was $4.13 per action. The donning or removing or personal protective equipment (N = 720) cost was 75.9 cents per action. Finally, the total median costs for the five categories of clinical best practiced assessed were 27.2 cents per action. Conclusion The costs of clinical best practices were low, from 20 cents to $4.13 per action. This study provides evidence based arguments with which to support the allocation of resources to infection prevention and control practices that directly affect the safety of patients, healthcare workers and the public. Further research of costing clinical best care practices is warranted.

scholarly journals A pre-pandemic COVID-19 assessment of the costs of prevention and control interventions for healthcare associated infections in medical and surgical wards in Québec

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Tchouaket Nguemeleu ◽  
Stephanie Robins ◽  
Sandra Boivin ◽  
Drissa Sia ◽  
Kelley Kilpatrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Associated Infections ◽  
Healthcare Associated ◽  
The Cost ◽  
And Control

Abstract Background Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) present a major public health problem that significantly affects patients, health care providers and the entire healthcare system. Infection prevention and control programs limit HCAIs and are an indispensable component of patient and healthcare worker safety. The clinical best practices (CBPs) of handwashing, screening, hygiene and sanitation of surfaces and equipment, and basic and additional precautions (e.g., isolation, and donning and removing personal protective equipment) are keystones of infection prevention and control (IPC). There is a lack of rigorous IPC economic evaluations demonstrating the cost–benefit of IPC programs in general, and a lack of assessment of the value of investing in CBPs more specifically. Objective This study aims to assess overall costs associated with each of the four CBPs. Methods Across two Quebec hospitals, 48 healthcare workers were observed for two hours each shift, for two consecutive weeks. A modified time-driven activity-based costing framework method was used to capture all human resources (time) and materials (e.g. masks, cloths, disinfectants) required for each clinical best practice. Using a hospital perspective with a time horizon of one year, median costs per CBP per hour, as well as the cost per action, were calculated and reported in 2018 Canadian dollars ($). Sensitivity analyses were performed. Results A total of 1831 actions were recorded. The median cost of hand hygiene (N = 867) was 20 cents per action. For cleaning and disinfection of surfaces (N = 102), the cost was 21 cents per action, while cleaning of small equipment (N = 85) was 25 cents per action. Additional precautions median cost was $4.1 per action. The donning or removing or personal protective equipment (N = 720) cost was 76 cents per action. Finally, the total median costs for the five categories of clinical best practiced assessed were 27 cents per action. Conclusions The costs of clinical best practices were low, from 20 cents to $4.1 per action. This study provides evidence based arguments with which to support the allocation of resources to infection prevention and control practices that directly affect the safety of patients, healthcare workers and the public. Further research of costing clinical best care practices is warranted.

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