scholarly journals Is scaling-up COVID-19 testing cost-saving?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernardo Sousa-Pinto ◽  
João Almeida Fonseca ◽  
Altamiro Costa-Pereira ◽  
Francisco Nuno Rocha-Gonçalves
Keyword(s):  
Cost Saving ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
World Health ◽  
Hospitalization Costs ◽  
Testing Cost ◽  
Additional Costs ◽  
Economic Analyses ◽  
Health Organization

The World Health Organization currently recommends that governments scale up testing for COVID-19 infection. We performed health economic analyses projecting whether the additional costs from screening would be offset by the avoided costs with hospitalizations. We analysed Portuguese COVID-19 data up until the 22nd March 2020, and estimated the additional number of cases that would be detected if different testing rates and frequencies of positive results would have been observed. We projected that, in most scenarios, the costs with scaling up COVID-19 tests would be lower than savings with hospitalization costs, rendering large scale testing cost-saving.

scholarly journals Towards a more nuanced global mental health

2014 ◽  
Vol 204 (6) ◽  
pp. 415-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross G. White ◽  
S. P. Sashidharan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Global Mental Health ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
World Health ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Health Gap ◽  
Action Programme ◽  
Health Organization

SummaryThe World Health Organization has made concerted efforts to scale up mental health services in low- and middle-income countries through the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) initiative. However, an overreliance on scaling up services based on those used in high-income countries may risk causing more harm than good.

scholarly journals Citizen workshops in public libraries to disseminate and discuss primary care research results: a scaling-up study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Massougbodji ◽  
Hervé Tchala Vignon Zomahoun ◽  
Evehouenou Lionel Adisso ◽  
Jasmine Sawadogo ◽  
Valérie Borde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Translation ◽  
Financial Incentives ◽  
General Public ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
Research Results

Abstract Background Little is known about engaging patients and stakeholders in the process of scaling up effective knowledge translation interventions targeting the general public. Using an integrated knowledge translation approach, we aimed to scale up and evaluate an effective pilot program of disseminating research results in public libraries. Methods We conducted a scaling-up study targeting the general public. Based on our successful pilot project, we co-developed and implemented a larger-scale program of free citizen workshops in public libraries, this time in close research partnership with stakeholders and patient representatives. Citizen workshops, each facilitated by one participating physician and one science communicator, consisted of a 45-min computer-assisted presentation and a 45-min open exchange. Additional scale-up costs included offering financial incentives to stakeholders involved and the purchase of audio-visual equipment. The intervention outcome was knowledge gained. Scale-up outcomes were satisfaction, appropriateness, coverage, time and costs. An evaluation questionnaire was used to collect data of interest. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed. Results The workshop theme chosen by patient and stakeholder representatives was the high prevalence of medication overuse among people over 65 years of age. From April to May 2019, 26 workshops were given in 25 public libraries reaching 362 people. Eighteen participating physicians and six science communicators facilitated the workshops. Participants reported significant knowledge gain (mean difference 2.1, 95% CI 2.0–2.2, P < .001). Median score for overall public satisfaction was 9/10 (IQR 8–10). A high level of appropriateness of the workshops was globally rated by the public participants Coverage was 92.6% of the total number of public libraries targeted. Costs were $6,051.84 CAD for workshop design and $22,935.41 CAD for scaling them up. Conclusion This project successfully established a large-scale and successful KT bridge between researchers, clinicians, and citizens via public libraries. This study provides a model for a dissemination practice that benefits the general public by both engaging them in the dissemination process and by targeting them directly.

Development of Herbal Ayurvedic Formulation as Digestive Tablets, Evaluation of it’s Pharmaceutical, Pharmacognostic Parameters and Screening of its Antioxidant Potential

2021 ◽  
pp. 5849-5855
Author(s):  
Vikas Sharma ◽  
Chandana Majee ◽  
Rahul Kaushik ◽  
Shivani Saxena ◽  
Salahuddin Salahuddin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Volatile Oil ◽  
Antioxidant Potential ◽  
World Health ◽  
Wet Granulation ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Weight Variation ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Average Size

Herbal digestive tablets are meant for treating indigestion problems. The indigestion problem is one of the major problems of all (the) ages of human beings. As trends for eating fast foods is increasing, simultaneously the improper digestion also tends to increase. There are a number of digestive tablets in the market but in attempt to improve their taste the actual motto behind their use is masked. To combat the indigestion problems, in the present study an attempt has been made to formulate, develop and evaluate herbal digestive tablets. The formula of the digestive tablet has been decided after deep review of Ayurvedic formulary of India. The ingredients of this formulation have been procured from authentic sources. The wet granulation method was used to prepare the granules for punching the tablets. After preparation, the herbal digestive tablets were subjected to various pharmaceutical evaluations and quality control evaluations as per the guidelines from World Health Organization (WHO). The formulation was also subjected to antioxidant screening using Phosphomolybdenum method. The digestive tablets are obtained as light brown-colored round tablets with pleasant odour and spicy taste with an average size of 8mm and smooth edges. Maximum extractive value was observed as 34% in methanol with a total ash value of 10.16%. Other parameters reported as bitterness value- 0.69 units, volatile oil content-8%, loss on drying- 12.3%, swelling and foaming index of 0.27 and less than 100 respectively. The tablets showed a total antioxidant potential of 0.51mg/mg as Ascorbic acid equivalent. Tablets also pass various pharmaceutical evaluation parameters like hardness, friability, weight variation, and disintegration test. Herbal digestive tablets have very excellent taste due to less bitter drugs. The tablet formula can be applied to prepare large scale production of digestive tablets.

A systematic review of costing studies for implementing and scaling-up breastfeeding interventions: what do we know and what are the gaps?

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Carroll ◽  
Cara Safon ◽  
Gabriela Buccini ◽  
Mireya Vilar-Compte ◽  
Graciela Teruel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Maternity Leave ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
World Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cost Estimates ◽  
Costing Study

Abstract Despite the well-established evidence that breastfeeding improves maternal and child health outcomes, global rates of exclusive breastfeeding remain low. Cost estimates can inform stakeholders about the financial resources needed to scale up interventions to ultimately improve breastfeeding outcomes in low-, middle- and high-income countries. To inform the development of comprehensive costing frameworks, this systematic review aimed to (1) identify costing studies for implementing or scaling-up breastfeeding interventions, (2) assess the quality of identified costing studies and (3) examine the availability of cost data to identify gaps that need to be addressed through future research. Peer-reviewed and grey literature were systematically searched using a combination of index terms and relevant text words related to cost and the following breastfeeding interventions: breastfeeding counselling, maternity leave, the World Health Organization International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, media promotion, workplace support and pro-breastfeeding social policies. Data were extracted after having established inter-rater reliability among the first two authors. The quality of studies was assessed using an eight-item checklist for key costing study attributes. Forty-five studies met the inclusion criteria, with the majority including costs for breastfeeding counselling and paid maternity leave. Most cost analyses included key costing study attributes; however, major weaknesses among the studies were the lack of clarity on costing perspectives and not accounting for the uncertainty of reported cost estimates. Costing methodologies varied substantially, standardized costing frameworks are needed for reliably estimating the costs of implementing and scaling-up breastfeeding interventions at local-, national- or global-levels.

scholarly journals 2-Methyl-pentanoyl-carnitine (2-MPC): a urine biomarker for patent Ascaris lumbricoides infection

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ole Lagatie ◽  
Ann Verheyen ◽  
Stijn Van Asten ◽  
Maurice R. Odiere ◽  
Yenny Djuardi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ascaris Lumbricoides ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Infection Intensity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Metabolome Analysis ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Urine Biomarker ◽  
Intestinal Worms ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Infections with intestinal worms, such as Ascaris lumbricoides, affect hundreds of millions of people in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Through large-scale deworming programs, World Health Organization aims to reduce moderate-to-heavy intensity infections below 1%. Current diagnosis and monitoring of these control programs are solely based on the detection of worm eggs in stool. Here we describe how metabolome analysis was used to identify the A. lumbricoides-specific urine biomarker 2-methyl pentanoyl carnitine (2-MPC). This biomarker was found to be 85.7% accurate in determining infection and 90.5% accurate in determining a moderate-to-heavy infection. Our results also demonstrate that there is a correlation between 2-MPC levels in urine and A. lumbricoides DNA detected in stool. Furthermore, the levels of 2-MPC in urine were shown to rapidly and strongly decrease upon administration of a standard treatment (single oral dose of 400 mg albendazole). In an Ascaris suum infection model in pigs, it was found that, although 2-MPC levels were much lower compared to humans, there was a significant association between urinary 2-MPC levels and both worm counts (p = 0.023) and the number of eggs per gram (epg) counts (p < 0.001). This report demonstrates that urinary 2-MPC can be considered an A. lumbricoides-specific biomarker that can be used to monitor infection intensity.

scholarly journals Detecting tuberculosis: rapid tools but slow progress

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 80-83
Author(s):  
K. England ◽  
T. Masini ◽  
E. Fajardo
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
World Health ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Low Resource Settings ◽  
Laboratory Staff ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
Point Of Care Test ◽  
Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends Xpert® MTB/RIF as the initial test for all people with presumptive tuberculosis (TB). A number of challenges have been reported, however, in using this technology, particularly in low-resource settings. Here we examine these challenges, and provide our perspective of the barriers to Xpert scale-up as assessed through a survey in 16 TB burden countries in which the Médecins Sans Frontières is present. We observed that the key barriers to scale-up include a lack of policy adoption and implementation of WHO recommendations for the use of Xpert, resulting from high costs, poor sensitisation of clinical staff and a high turnover of trained laboratory staff; insufficient service and maintenance provision provided by the manufacturer; and inadequate resources for sustainability and expansion. Funding is a critical issue as countries begin to transition out of support from the Global Fund. While it is clear that there is still an urgent need for research into and development of a rapid, affordable point-of-care test for TB that is truly adapted for use in low-resource settings, countries in the meantime need to develop functional and sustainable Xpert networks in order to close the existing diagnostic gap.

scholarly journals COVID-19, an Opportunity for Developing Countries?

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Smith ◽  
Nicola Veronese ◽  
Vincenzo Racalbuto ◽  
Damiano Pizzol
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
World Health ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Viral Reservoirs ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Health Organization

The COVID-19 outbreak was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as global pandemic in March 2020. Considering the necessity to implement rapid response to control the pandemic and the fragility and the state of need of low income countries, it will be mandatory to develop a global approach in order to reduce the spread of infection and the creation of community viral reservoirs. So far, we could hypothesize a worst case scenario in which when the COVID-19 outbreak hits a peak in Africa and in low-income countries, the majority of such countries will be unprepared, with low resources allocated for affording the viral emergency and the consequences will be catastrophic with no lesson learnt. In the best case scenario, the COVID-19 will not affect Africa or South America on a large scale and, if the prevention measures will be implemented, we could register a lower incidence of hygiene linked diseases that still represent leading causes of death.

scholarly journals MenAfriNet: A Network Supporting Case-Based Meningitis Surveillance and Vaccine Evaluation in the Meningitis Belt of Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 220 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. S148-S154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaymin C Patel ◽  
Heidi M Soeters ◽  
Alpha Oumar Diallo ◽  
Brice W Bicaba ◽  
Goumbi Kadadé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
World Health ◽  
Surveillance Network ◽  
Sustainable Systems ◽  
Meningitis Belt ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
Strategic Implementation ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Special Studies ◽  
Case Based

Abstract Meningococcal meningitis remains a significant public health threat, especially in the African meningitis belt where Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A historically caused large-scale epidemics. With the rollout of a novel meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine (MACV) in the belt, the World Health Organization recommended case-based meningitis surveillance to monitor MACV impact and meningitis epidemiology. In 2014, the MenAfriNet consortium was established to support strategic implementation of case-based meningitis surveillance in 5 key countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Togo. MenAfriNet aimed to develop a high-quality surveillance network using standardized laboratory and data collection protocols, develop sustainable systems for data management and analysis to monitor MACV impact, and leverage the surveillance platform to perform special studies. We describe the MenAfriNet consortium, its history, strategy, implementation, accomplishments, and challenges.

PREDICTORS OF MALE CIRCUMCISION AMONG MEN AGED 15–35 YEARS IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-211
Author(s):  
Kudzaishe Mangombe ◽  
Ishumael Kalule-Sabiti
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Male Circumcision ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medical Male Circumcision ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Health Organization

SummaryMedical male circumcision has been recommended by the World Health Organization as part of a comprehensive approach to HIV prevention. Zimbabwe is one of the fourteen sub-Saharan countries that embarked on the Medical Male Circumcision (MMC) programme. However, the country has not yet met male circumcision targets. This paper examines the predictors of male circumcision in Zimbabwe. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 784 men aged 15–35 years in Harare, Zimbabwe. Negative log-log logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of male circumcision. The main predictors of circumcision were age, employment status, ever tested for HIV, approval of HIV testing prior to circumcision, knowledge about male circumcision and attitudes towards male circumcision. By and large, participants had good knowledge about male circumcision and viewed HIV prevention with a reasonably positive attitude. The identification of these predictors can be used to scale up the demand for male circumcision in Zimbabwe.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic in Lebanon: One Year Later, What Have We Learnt?

mSystems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jad Koweyes ◽  
Tamara Salloum ◽  
Siwar Haidar ◽  
Georgi Merhi ◽  
Sima Tokajian
Keyword(s):  
Scaling Up ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
World Health ◽  
National Council ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
Control Community ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Economic Collapse ◽  
One Year ◽  
Health Organization

ABSTRACT Lebanon is witnessing an unprecedented crisis with the rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), financial meltdown, economic collapse, and the Beirut Port explosion. The first wave began in February 2020, following which the country experienced several episodes and peaks while alternating between lockdowns and phased liftings. One year of the pandemic revealed that effective mitigation could not be separated from the collapse of the ongoing economic, political, and health sectors. Scaling up vaccination, preparedness, and response capacities is essential to control community transmission. The World Health Organization (WHO), National Council for Scientific Research—Lebanon (CNRS-L), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and humanitarian responses proved to be the safety net for the country during the current pandemic.

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