scholarly journals Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of implementing HIV testing in primary care in East London: protocol for an interrupted time series analysis

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. e018163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Werner Leber ◽  
Lee Beresford ◽  
Claire Nightingale ◽  
Estela Capelas Barbosa ◽  
Stephen Morris ◽  
...  

IntroductionHIV remains underdiagnosed. Guidelines recommend routine HIV testing in primary care, but evidence on implementing testing is lacking. In a previous study, the Rapid HIV Assessment 2 (RHIVA2) cluster randomised controlled trial, we showed that providing training and rapid point-of-care HIV testing at general practice registration (RHIVA2 intervention) in Hackney led to cost-effective, increased and earlier diagnosis of HIV. However, interventions effective in a trial context may be less so when implemented in routine practice. We describe the protocol for an MRC phase IV implementation programme, evaluating the impact of rolling out the RHIVA2 intervention in a post-trial setting. We will use a longitudinal study to examine if the post-trial implementation in Hackney practices is effective and cost-effective, and a cross-sectional study to compare Hackney with two adjacent boroughs providing usual primary care (Newham) and an enhanced service promoting HIV testing in primary care (Tower Hamlets).Methods and analysisService evaluation using interrupted time series and cost-effectiveness analyses. We will include all general practices in three contiguous high HIV prevalence East London boroughs. All adults aged 16 and above registered with the practices will be included. The interventions to be examined are: a post-trial RHIVA2 implementation programme (including practice-based education and training, external quality assurance, incentive payments for rapid HIV testing and incorporation of rapid HIV testing in the sexual health Local Enhanced Service) in Hackney; the general practice sexual health Network Improved Service in Tower Hamlets and usual care in Newham. Coprimary outcomes are rates of HIV testing and new HIV diagnoses.Ethics and disseminationThe chair of the Camden and Islington NHS Research Ethics Committee, London, has endorsed this programme as an evaluation of routine care. Study results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and reported to commissioners.

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e029188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manish Pareek ◽  
Helen C Eborall ◽  
Fatimah Wobi ◽  
Kate S Ellis ◽  
Evangelos Kontopantelis ◽  
...  

BackgroundMigration is a major global driver of population change. Certain migrants may be at increased risk of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis (TB), HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and have poorer outcomes. Early diagnosis and management of these infections can reduce morbidity, mortality and onward transmission and is supported by national guidelines. To date, screening initiatives have been sporadic and focused on individual diseases; systematic routine testing of migrant groups for multiple infections is rarely undertaken and its impact is unknown. We describe the protocol for the evaluation of acceptability, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an integrated approach to screening migrants for a range of infectious diseases in primary care.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a mixed-methods study which includes an observational cohort with interrupted time-series analysis before and after the introduction of routine screening of migrants for infectious diseases (latent TB, HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C) when first registering with primary care within Leicester, UK. We will assess trends in the monthly number and rate of testing and diagnosis for latent TB, HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C to determine the effect of the policy change using segmented regression analyses at monthly time-points. Concurrently, we will undertake an integrated qualitative sub-study to understand the views of migrants and healthcare professionals to the new testing policy in primary care. Finally, we will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of combined infection testing for migrants in primary care.Ethics and disseminationThe study has received HRA and NHS approvals for both the interrupted time-series analysis (16/SC/0127) and the qualitative sub-study (16/EM/0159). For the interrupted time-series analysis we will only use fully anonymised data. For the qualitative sub-study, we will gain written, informed, consent. Dissemination of the results will be through local and national meetings/conferences as well as publications in peer-reviewed journals.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Pilbery ◽  
Tracey Young ◽  
Andrew Hodge

AbstractIntroductionNHS ambulance service conveyance rates in the UK are almost 70%, despite an increase in non-emergency cases. This is increasing the demands on crowded emergency departments (ED) and contributes to increased ambulance turnaround times. Yorkshire Ambulance Service introduced a specialist paramedic (SP) role to try and address this, but non-conveyance rates in this group have not been as high as expected.MethodsWe conducted a controlled interrupted time series analysis of appropriate non-conveyance rates in the 12 months before and after an SP primary care placement, using matched groups of patients cared for by SPs and control paramedics. A costing analysis examined the average cost per appropriate non-conveyance and the cost-effectiveness ratio between groups.ResultsBetween June 2017 and December 2019 there were 7349 incidents attended by intervention group SPs and eligible for inclusion. Following removal of cases with missing data, 5537/7349 (75.3%) cases remained. Post-placement, the intervention group demonstrated an increase in appropriate non-conveyance rate by 32.2% (95%CI 20.1–44.3%, p<0.001) and a reduction in the trend of appropriate non-conveyance relative to the control group of −1.8% (95%CI −3.5—0.0%, p=0.045).Post-placement, the cost per appropriate non-conveyance for intervention paramedics was a mean of £501.94 (95% bootstrapped CI £477.99–£526.46) versus £1217.89 (95% bootstrapped CI £1121.49–£1321.85) for the control group. This represents a mean saving of £715.95 per appropriate non-conveyance (95% bootstrapped CI £638.23–£795.69) for SPs compared to the control group, and a cost-effectiveness ratio of £2226.04 per percentage increase in appropriate non-conveyance (95% bootstrapped CI £1854.11–£2748.44).ConclusionIn this single UK NHS ambulance service study, we found a clinically important and statistically significant increase in appropriate non-conveyance rates by specialist paramedics who had completed a 10-week GP placement. This improvement persisted for the 12-month period following the placement and demonstrated cost savings compared to usual care.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. e024132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana Anokye ◽  
Louise Mansfield ◽  
Tess Kay ◽  
Sabina Sanghera ◽  
Alex Lewin ◽  
...  

ObjectivesAn effectiveness and cost-effectiveness analyses of two-staged community sports interventions; taster sports sessions compared with portfolio of community sport sessions.DesignQuasi-experiment using an interrupted time series design.SettingCommunity sports projects delivered by eight lead partners in London Borough of Hounslow, UK.ParticipantsInactive people aged 14 plus years (n=246) were recruited between May 2013 and February 2014.InterventionsCommunity sports interventions delivered in two stages, 6-week programme of taster sport sessions (stage 1) and 6-week programme of portfolio of community sporting sessions delivered by trained coaches (stage 2).Outcome measures(a) Change in days with ≥30 min of self-reported vigorous intensity physical activity (PA), moderate intensity PA, walking and sport; and (b) change in subjective well-being and EQ5D5L quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs).MethodsInterrupted time series analysis evaluated the effectiveness of the two-staged sports programmes. Cost-effectiveness analysis compares stage 2 with stage 1 from a provider’s perspective, reporting outcomes of incremental cost per QALY (2015/2016 price year). Uncertainty was assessed using deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.ResultsCompared with stage 1, counterfactual change at 21 days in PA was lower for vigorous (log odds: −0.52; 95% CI −1 to –0.03), moderate PA (−0.50; 95% CI 0.94 to 0.05) and sport(−0.56; 95% CI −1.02 to –0.10). Stage 2 increased walking (0.28; 95% CI 0.3 to 0.52). Effect overtime was similar. Counterfactual change at 21 days in well-being was positive particularly for ‘happiness’ (0.29; 95% CI 0.06 to 0.51). Stage 2 was more expensive (£101 per participant) but increased QALYs (0.001; 95% CI −0.034 to 0.036). Cost per QALY for stage 2 was £50 000 and has 29% chance of being cost-effective (£30 000 threshold).ConclusionCommunity-based sport interventions could increase PA among inactive people. Less intensive sports sessions may be more effective and cost-effective.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Brown ◽  
Brandi M. White ◽  
Walter J. Jones ◽  
Mulugeta Gebregziabher ◽  
Kit N. Simpson

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.


2021 ◽  
pp. 000992282110382
Author(s):  
Tracey M. Thompson ◽  
Ty E. Hasselman ◽  
Yanzhi Wang ◽  
David W. Jantzen

The pediatric appropriate use criteria (AUC) were applied to transthoracic echocardiograms (TTE) ordered by primary care providers (PCPs) and pediatric cardiologists for the diagnosis of syncope to compare appropriateness ratings and cost-effectiveness. Included were patients ≤18 years of age from October 2016 to October 2018 with syncope who underwent initial outpatient pediatric TTE ordered by a PCP or were seen in Pediatric Cardiology clinic. Ordering rate of TTE by pediatric cardiologists, AUC classification, and TTE findings were obtained. PCPs ordered significantly more TTEs than pediatric cardiologists for “rarely appropriate” indications (61.5% vs 7.5%, P < .001). Cardiologists ordered TTEs at 17.2% of visits. Using appropriateness as a marker of effect, with the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, it was more cost-effective ($543.33 per patient) to refer to a pediatric cardiologist than to order the TTE alone. This suggests that improved PCP education of the AUC and appropriate indications of TTEs for syncope may improve cost-effectiveness when using order appropriateness as a marker of effectiveness.


2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Violeta Balinskaite ◽  
Alan P Johnson ◽  
Alison Holmes ◽  
Paul Aylin

Abstract Background The Quality Premium was introduced in 2015 to financially reward local commissioners of healthcare in England for targeted reductions in antibiotic prescribing in primary care. Methods We used a national antibiotic prescribing dataset from April 2013 until February 2017 to examine the number of antibiotic items prescribed, the total number of antibiotic items prescribed per STAR-PU (specific therapeutic group age/sex-related prescribing units), the number of broad-spectrum antibiotic items prescribed, and broad-spectrum antibiotic items prescribed, expressed as a percentage of the total number of antibiotic items. To evaluate the impact of the Quality Premium on antibiotic prescribing, we used a segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series data. Results During the study period, over 140 million antibiotic items were prescribed in primary care. Following the introduction of the Quality Premium, antibiotic items prescribed decreased by 8.2%, representing 5933563 fewer antibiotic items prescribed during the 23 post-intervention months, as compared with the expected numbers based on the trend in the pre-intervention period. After adjusting for the age and sex distribution in the population, the segmented regression model also showed a significant relative decrease in antibiotic items prescribed per STAR-PU. A similar effect was found for broad-spectrum antibiotics (comprising 10.1% of total antibiotic prescribing), with an 18.9% reduction in prescribing. Conclusions This study shows that the introduction of financial incentives for local commissioners of healthcare to improve the quality of prescribing was associated with a significant reduction in both total and broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribing in primary care in England.


Antibiotics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Holmes ◽  
Sharman Harris ◽  
Alison Hughes ◽  
Noel Craine ◽  
Dyfrig Hughes

More appropriate and measured use of antibiotics may be achieved using point-of-care (POC) C-reactive protein (CRP) testing, but there is limited evidence of cost-effectiveness in routine practice. A decision analytic model was developed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of testing, compared with standard care, in adults presenting in primary care with symptoms of acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI). Analyses considered (1) pragmatic use of testing, reflective of routine clinical practice, and (2) testing according to clinical guidelines. Threshold and scenario analysis were performed to identify cost-effective scenarios. In patients with symptoms of ARTI and based on routine practice, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of CRP testing were £19,705 per quality-adjusted-life-year (QALY) gained and £16.07 per antibiotic prescription avoided. Following clinical guideline, CRP testing in patients with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) cost £4390 per QALY gained and £9.31 per antibiotic prescription avoided. At a threshold of £20,000 per QALY, the probabilities of POC CRP testing being cost-effective were 0.49 (ARTI) and 0.84 (LRTI). POC CRP testing as implemented in routine practice is appreciably less cost-effective than when adhering to clinical guidelines. The implications for antibiotic resistance and Clostridium difficile infection warrant further investigation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Okoboi ◽  
Barbara Castelnuovo ◽  
Jean-Pierre Van Geertruyden ◽  
Oucul Lazarus ◽  
Lung Vu ◽  
...  

Introduction: Distribution of HIV self-testing (HIVST) kits through MSM peer networks is a novel and effective strategy to increase HIV testing coverage in this high-risk population. No study has evaluated the cost or cost effectiveness of peer distribution of HIVST strategies among MSM in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods: From June to August 2018, we conducted a pilot study of secondary MSM peer HIVST kit distribution at The AIDS Support Organization at Entebbe and Masaka. We used an ingredients approach to estimate the cost of MSM peer HIVST kit distribution relative to standard-of-care (SOC) hotspot testing using programme expenditure data reported in US dollars. The provider perspective was used to estimate incremental cost-effective ratios per HIV infection averted using the difference in HIV annual transmission rates between MSM with HIV who knew their status and were not virologically suppressed and MSM with HIV who did not know their status.Results: We enrolled 297 participants of whom 150 received MSM peer HIVST kit distribution (intervention group) and 147 received TASO standard of care HIV testing (control group). Provider cost for the intervention was $2,276 compared with $1,827 for SOC during the 3-month study period. Overall, the intervention resulted in higher HIV positivity yield (4.9 vs. 1.4%) and averted more HIV infections per quarter (0.364 vs. 0.104) compared with SOC. The cost per person tested was higher for the intervention compared to SOC ($15.90 vs. $12.40). Importantly, the cost per new HIV diagnosis ($325 vs. $914) and cost per transmission averted ($6,253 vs. $ 17,567) were lower for the intervention approach relative to SOC. The incremental cost per HIV transmission averted by the self-testing program was $1,727. The incremental cost to providers per additional HIV-positive person identified by the intervention was $147.30.Conclusion: The intervention strategy was cost-effective, and identified more undiagnosed HIV infections than SOC hotspot testing at a cost-effectiveness threshold of US $2,129. Secondary distribution of HIVST kits through peers should further be evaluated with longer duration aimed at diagnosing 95% of all persons with HIV by 2030; the first UNAIDS 95-95-95 target.


BJGP Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. BJGPO.2021.0146
Author(s):  
Chris Sampson ◽  
Eleanor Bell ◽  
Amanda Cole ◽  
Christopher B Miller ◽  
Tracey Marriott ◽  
...  

BackgroundSleepio is an automated digital programme that delivers cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (dCBT-I). Sleepio has been proven effective in improving sleep difficulties. However, evidence for the possible impact of Sleepio use on health care costs in the United Kingdom has not previously been developed.AimWe sought to identify the effect of a population-wide rollout of Sleepio in terms of primary care costs in the National Health Service (NHS) in England.Design & settingThe study was conducted in the Thames Valley region of England, where access to Sleepio was made freely available to all residents between October 2018 and January 2020. The study relies on a quasi-experimental design, using an interrupted time series to compare the trend in primary care costs before and after the rollout of Sleepio.MethodWe use primary care data for people with relevant characteristics from nine general practices in Buckinghamshire. Primary care costs include general practice contacts and prescriptions. Segmented regression analysis was used to estimate primary and secondary outcomes.ResultsFor the 10,704 patients included in our sample, the total saving over the 65-week follow-up period was £71,027. This corresponds to £6.64 per person in our sample or around £70.44 per Sleepio user. Secondary analyses suggest that savings may be driven primarily by reductions in prescribing.ConclusionSleepio rollout reduced primary care costs. National adoption of Sleepio may reduce primary care costs by £20 million in the first year. The expected impact on primary care costs in any particular setting will depend on the uptake of Sleepio.


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