scholarly journals An ingredients-based approach to costing integrated malaria elimination strategies: an example from Myanmar

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shwe Sin Kyaw ◽  
Gilles Delmas ◽  
Tom L Drake ◽  
Olivier Celhay ◽  
Wirichada Pan-ngum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Elimination ◽  
Malaria Parasite ◽  
Financial Data ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Implementation Costs ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Greater Mekong Subregion ◽  
Malaria Interventions

Abstract Background Mass drug administration (MDA) has received growing interest to accelerate the elimination of multi-drug resistant malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion. The potential effectiveness of delivering targeted MDA was demonstrated in a recent intervention in Kayin State, Myanmar. Policymakers and funders need to know what resources are required if MDA is to be included in elimination packages beyond existing malaria interventions. Methods We used financial data from a malaria elimination initiative, conducted in Kayin State, to estimate the programmatic costs of the MDA component using a micro-costing approach. Three activities (community engagement, identification of villages for MDA, and conducting mass treatment in target villages) were evaluated. We then estimate the programmatic costs of implementing targeted MDA to support P. falciparum malaria elimination in Kayin State. A costing tool was developed to aid future analyses.Results The cost of delivering MDA within an integrated malaria elimination initiative in Eastern Kayin State was approximately US$ 910 000. The cost per person reached for MDA was US$ 2·5. Conclusion This cost analysis can assist policy makers in determining the resources required to clear malaria parasite reservoirs. The analysis demonstrated the value of using financial data from research activities to predict programmatic implementation costs of MDA in different numbers of target villages.

scholarly journals Estimating the programmatic cost of targeted mass drug administration for malaria in Myanmar

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shwe Sin Kyaw ◽  
Gilles Delmas ◽  
Tom L. Drake ◽  
Olivier Celhay ◽  
Wirichada Pan-ngum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Administration ◽  
Mass Drug Administration ◽  
Malaria Elimination ◽  
Unit Cost ◽  
Financial Data ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Implementation Costs ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Greater Mekong Subregion

Abstract Background Mass drug administration (MDA) has received growing interest to accelerate the elimination of multi-drug resistant malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Targeted MDA, sometimes referred to as focal MDA, is the practice of delivering MDA to high incidence subpopulations only, rather than the entire population. The potential effectiveness of delivering targeted MDA was demonstrated in a recent intervention in Kayin State, Myanmar. Policymakers and funders need to know what resources are required if MDA, targeted or otherwise, is to be included in elimination packages beyond existing malaria interventions. This study aims to estimate the programmatic cost and the unit cost of targeted MDA in Kayin State, Myanmar. Methods We used financial data from a malaria elimination initiative, conducted in Kayin State, to estimate the programmatic costs of the targeted MDA component using a micro-costing approach. Three activities (community engagement, identification of villages for targeted MDA, and conducting mass treatment in target villages) were evaluated. We then estimated the programmatic costs of implementing targeted MDA to support P. falciparum malaria elimination in Kayin State. A costing tool was developed to aid future analyses. Results The cost of delivering targeted MDA within an integrated malaria elimination initiative in eastern Kayin State was approximately US$ 910,000. The cost per person reached, distributed among those in targeted and non-targeted villages, for the MDA component was US$ 2.5. Conclusion This cost analysis can assist policymakers in determining the resources required to clear malaria parasite reservoirs. The analysis demonstrated the value of using financial data from research activities to predict programmatic implementation costs of targeting MDA to different numbers of target villages.

scholarly journals Community Engagement for Malaria Elimination in the Greater Mekong Subregion: a Qualitative Study Among Malaria Researchers and Policymakers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nils Kaehler ◽  
Bipin Adhikari ◽  
Phaik Yeong Cheah ◽  
Lorenz von Seidlein ◽  
Nicholas PJ Day ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Engagement ◽  
Malaria Elimination ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Malaria Prevention ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Malaria Research ◽  
Local Staff ◽  
Participatory Engagement ◽  
Greater Mekong Subregion

Abstract IntroductionCommunity engagement has increasingly received attention in malaria research and program interventions, particularly as countries approach closer to malaria elimination. Although strategies and aspects of community engagement are constantly developing, little is known about how those who implement research or programs view community engagement. This article explores the perspectives of researchers and policy makers in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) on community engagement for malaria control and elimination. MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted among 17 policymakers and 15 senior researchers working in the field of malaria. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed in English. Transcribed data were analyzed using deductive and inductive approach in QSR NVivo. Themes and sub-themes were generated. ResultsResearchers and policymakers emphasized the importance of community engagement in promoting participation in malaria research and interventions. Building trust with the community was seen as crucial. Respondents emphasized involving authority/leadership structures and highlighted the need for intense and participatory engagement. Geographic remoteness, social, cultural, and linguistic diversity were identified as barriers to meaningful engagement. Local staff were described as an essential ‘connect’ between researchers or policy makers and prospective participants. Sharing information with community members, using various strategies such as visualization of message including creative and participatory methods were highlighted. ConclusionsAs malaria continues to decline across the GMS, countries have set elimination goals. In this context, policy makers and researchers involved in malaria prevention and control in the region viewed community engagement as crucial for promoting participation in research or programmatic interventions. Given the difficulties of the “last mile” to elimination, sustained investment in community engagement is needed in isolated areas of the GMS where malaria transmission continues.

scholarly journals Costs and Benefits of Autonomous Shipping—A Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4553
Author(s):  
Ewelina Ziajka-Poznańska ◽  
Jakub Montewka
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Financial Models ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Capital Costs ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Benefit Estimation ◽  
Autonomous Ship ◽  
The Cost

The development of autonomous ship technology is currently in focus worldwide and the literature on this topic is growing. However, an in-depth cost and benefit estimation of such endeavours is in its infancy. With this systematic literature review, we present the state-of-the-art system regarding costs and benefits of the operation of prospective autonomous merchant ships with an objective for identifying contemporary research activities concerning an estimation of operating, voyage, and capital costs in prospective, autonomous shipping and vessel platooning. Additionally, the paper outlines research gaps and the need for more detailed business models for operating autonomous ships. Results reveal that valid financial models of autonomous shipping are lacking and there is significant uncertainty affecting the cost estimates, rendering only a reliable evaluation of specific case studies. The findings of this paper may be found relevant not only by academia, but also organisations considering to undertake a challenge of implementing Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships in their operations.

At what cost is performance-based financing implemented? Novel evidence from Malawi

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 282-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela De Allegri ◽  
Chris Makwero ◽  
Aleksandra Torbica
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Economic Cost ◽  
Personnel Cost ◽  
Cost Category ◽  
Implementation Phase ◽  
Personnel Costs ◽  
Performance Based Financing ◽  
Implementation Costs ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Low Income Setting

Abstract Our study estimated the full economic cost of implementing performance-based financing [PBF, the Support for Service Delivery Integration Performance-Based Incentives (SSDI-PBI) programme], as a means of first introducing strategic purchasing in a low-income setting, Malawi. Our analysis distinguished design from implementation costs and traces costs across personnel and non-personnel cost categories over the 2012–15 period. The full cost of the SSDI-PBI programme amounted to USD 3 402 187, equivalent to USD 6.46 per targeted beneficiary. The design phase accounted for about one-third (USD 1 161 332) of the total costs, while the incentives (USD 1 140 436) represented about one-third of the total cost of the intervention and about half the cost of the implementation phase. With a cost of USD 1 605 178, personnel costs represented the dominant cost category. Our study indicated that the introduction of PBF entailed consumption of a substantial amount of resources, hence representing an important opportunity cost for the health system.

Does the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic influence the FX? A note.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelos Vasileiou
Keyword(s):  
Exchange Rate ◽  
Interest Rate ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Interest Rate Risk ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Domestic Currency ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

This note shows that the effective response of a country in its battle against COVID-19 influences the exchange rate of its currency. Particularly, we examine the GBPUSD, AUDUSD and AUDGBP pairs of currency during the COVID-19 outbreak and the results show that the domestic currency of the country which documents more COVID-19 cases in each pair is depreciated against the foreign one. Therefore, a country which cannot effectively mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and whose currency is depreciated may present further economic consequences in the future. Such consequences extend beyond economic recession and may include sovereign and interest rate risk. These findings may be useful for policy makers in order to estimate the cost of the pandemic.

scholarly journals Cost analysis of breast cancer diagnostic assessment programs

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 354 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.N. Honein-AbouHaidar ◽  
J.S. Hoch ◽  
M.J. Dobrow ◽  
T. Stuart-McEwan ◽  
D.R. McCready ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Financial Data ◽  
Diagnostic Assessment ◽  
Future Cost ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
The Cost

Objectives Diagnostic assessment programs (daps) appear to improve the diagnosis of cancer, but evidence of their cost-effectiveness is lacking. Given that no earlier study used secondary financial data to estimate the cost of diagnostic tests in the province of Ontario, we explored how to use secondary financial data to retrieve the cost of key diagnostic test services in daps, and we tested the reliability of that cost-retrieving method with hospital-reported costs in preparation for future cost-effectiveness studies.Methods We powered our sample at an alpha of 0.05, a power of 80%, and a margin of error of ±5%, and randomly selected a sample of eligible patients referred to a dap for suspected breast cancer during 1 January–31 December 2012. Confirmatory diagnostic tests received by each patient were identified in medical records. Canadian Classification of Health Intervention procedure codes were used to search the secondary financial data Web portal at the Ontario Case Costing Initiative for an estimate of the direct, indirect, and total costs of each test. The hospital-reported cost of each test received was obtained from the host-hospital’s finance department. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the cost of individual or group confirmatory diagnostic tests, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test or the paired t-test was used to compare the Ontario Case Costing Initiative and hospital-reported costs.Results For the 191 identified patients with suspected breast cancer, the estimated total cost of $72,195.50 was not significantly different from the hospital-reported total cost of $72,035.52 (p = 0.24). Costs differed significantly when multiple tests to confirm the diagnosis were completed during one patient visit and when confirmatory tests reported in hospital data and in medical records were discrepant. The additional estimated cost for non-salaried physicians delivering diagnostic services was $28,387.50.Conclusions It was feasible to use secondary financial data to retrieve the cost of key diagnostic tests in a breast cancer dap and to compare the reliability of the costs obtained by that estimation method with hospital-reported costs. We identified the strengths and challenges of each approach. Lessons learned from this study have to be taken into consideration in future cost-effectiveness studies.

Sustainable Distribution Design: Contrasting Disposable, Recyclable, and Reusable Strategies for Packaging Materials Using a Total Cost Analysis With an Illustration of Milk Distribution

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sri Satya Kanaka Nagendra Jayanty ◽  
William J. Sawaya ◽  
Michael D. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Packaging Materials ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Specific Product ◽  
Cost Structures ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Total Cost Analysis ◽  
Plastic Containers

Engineers, policy makers, and managers have shown increasing interest in increasing the sustainability of products over their complete lifecycles and also from the ‘cradle to grave’ or from production to the disposal of each specific product. However, a significant amount of material is disposed of in landfills rather than being reused in some form. A sizeable proportion of the products being dumped in landfills consist of packaging materials for consumable products. Technological advances in plastics, packaging, cleaning, logistics, and new environmental awareness and understanding may have altered the cost structures surrounding the lifecycle use and disposal costs of many materials and products resulting in different cost-benefit trade-offs. An explicit and well-informed economic analysis of reusing certain containers might change current practices and results in significantly less waste disposal in landfills and in less consumption of resources for manufacturing packaging materials. This work presents a method for calculating the costs associated with a complete process of implementing a system to reuse plastic containers for food products. Specifically, the different relative costs of using a container and then either disposing of it in a landfill, recycling the material, or reconditioning the container for reuse and then reusing it are compared explicitly. Specific numbers and values are calculated for the case of plastic milk bottles to demonstrate the complicated interactions and the feasibility of such a strategy.

A Microcosting Study of Establishing a Baby Café® in Texas

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rigoberto I. Delgado ◽  
Sara L. Gill
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
San Antonio ◽  
The United States ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Discounted Cost ◽  
Informal Interview ◽  
Resource Requirements ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Discounted Costs

Background: This article focuses on the costs of opening and running a Baby Café. A Baby Café is an intervention that focuses on providing peer-to-peer support for breastfeeding mothers. Research aim: This study aimed to estimate the costs of establishing and running a Baby Café. Methods: The authors used a microcosting approach to identifying costs using the case of a Baby Café located in San Antonio, Texas, and modeled after other existing cafés in the United States. They also used extensive literature review and conducted an informal interview with a manager of an existing Baby Café in the United States to validate our cost data. The cost analysis was done from the provider perspective. Results: Costs of starting a Baby Café were $36,000, whereas annual operating costs totaled $47,000. Total discounted costs for a 5-year period amounted to $250,000, resulting in a cost per Baby Café session of $521 and cost per mother of $104. Varying the number of sessions per week and number of mothers attending each session, the discounted cost per Baby Café session ranged between $460 and $740 and the cost per mother varied between $65 and $246. Conclusion: These findings can be used by policy makers and organizations to evaluate local resource requirements for starting a Baby Café. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention against other breastfeeding promoting initiatives.

scholarly journals Malaria Trigram: improving the visualization of recurrence data for malaria elimination

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cleber Matos de Morais ◽  
Kayo Henrique de Carvalho Monteiro ◽  
Jose Diego Brito-Sousa ◽  
Wuelton Marcelo Monteiro ◽  
Vanderson Souza Sampaio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Elimination ◽  
Brazilian Amazon ◽  
Amazon Region ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Malaria Surveillance ◽  
Historical Representation ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Public Health Professionals ◽  
Brazilian Amazon Region

Abstract Background Although considerable success in reducing the incidence of malaria has been achieved in Brazil in recent years, an increase in the proportion of cases caused by the harder-to-eliminate Plasmodium vivax parasite can be noted. Recurrences in P. vivax malaria cases are due to new mosquito-bite infections, drug resistance or especially from relapses arising from hypnozoites. As such, new innovative surveillance strategies are needed. The aim of this study was to develop an infographic visualization tool to improve individual-level malaria surveillance focused on malaria elimination in the Brazilian Amazon. Methods Action Research methodology was employed to deal with the complex malaria surveillance problem in the Amazon region. Iterative cycles were used, totalling four cycles with a formal validation of an operational version of the Malaria Trigram tool at the end of the process. Further probabilistic data linkage was carried out so that information on the same patients could be linked, allowing for follow-up analysis since the official system was not planned in such way that includes this purpose. Results An infographic user interface was developed for the Malaria Trigram that incorporates all the visual and descriptive power of the Trigram concept. It is a multidimensional and interactive historical representation of malaria cases per patient over time and provides visual input to decision-makers on recurrences of malaria. Conclusions The Malaria Trigram is aimed to help public health professionals and policy makers to recognise and analyse different types of patterns in malaria events, including recurrences and reinfections, based on the current Brazilian health surveillance system, the SIVEP-Malária system, with no additional primary data collection or change in the current process. By using the Malaria Trigram, it is possible to plan and coordinate interventions for malaria elimination that are integrated with other parallel actions in the Brazilian Amazon region, such as vector control management, effective drug and vaccine deployment strategies.

scholarly journals Designing the structure and the content of the programs of the postgraduate training taking into account the experience of the European Doctor

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Г.У. Матушанский ◽  
О.Р. Кудаков ◽  
Г.В. Завада ◽  
А.Р. Гатиятова
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Postgraduate Training ◽  
Positive Experience ◽  
Doctoral Studies ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Postgraduate Training Program ◽  
Student Training ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Graduate Student Training ◽  
Educational Component

Целью работы является проектирование индивидуальных образовательных маршрутов исследовательской составляющей аспирантской подготовки в России на базе учета позитивного опыта европейской докторантуры. Достижения российской аспирантуры и европейской докторантуры рассматривались с помощью метода сравнительного анализа. В основу указанного проектирования положены системный и компетентностный подходы, использовались методы моделирования и проектирования. При построении образовательных маршрутов аспирантов использовался метод структурных графов. В результате проведенного исследования выявлен позитивный опыт организации зарубежной докторской подготовки и дан вариант проектирования структуры и содержания программы подготовки аспирантов. На примере университетов ряда стран предложены введение зачетных единиц на исследовательскую часть образовательной составляющей отечественной аспирантской программы подготовки, а также оценка стоимости определенных видов исследовательских действий. Разработаны варианты образовательных маршрутов исследовательской части подготовки аспирантов по естественно-математическому, инженерно-техническому и социально-гуманитарному направлениям. Результаты исследования дают возможность на основе введения зачетных единиц в исследовательскую часть аспирантской подготовки выработать критериальную систему оценки готовности аспирантов к итоговой аттестации. Разработанные варианты образовательных маршрутов позволяют более продуктивно осуществлять реализацию в целом аспирантской подготовки. The aim of the work is to design the structure and content of postgraduate programs in Russia at the third level of higher education based on the positive experience of European doctoral studies. Achievements of European and Russian doctoral studies were examined using the comparative analysis method. The design of the structure and content of postgraduate training programs is based on a systematic approach, modeling and design methods were used. The method of structural graphs was used to build educational routes for graduate students. As a result of the study, positive experience in organizing foreign doctoral training was revealed and a design option for the structure and content of the graduate student training program was given. On the example of universities in a number of countries, the following are proposed: the introduction of credit units on the research part of the educational component of the domestic postgraduate training program, as well as the assessment of the cost of certain types of research activities. As a result of the study, positive experience in organizing foreign doctoral training was revealed and a design option for the structure and content of the graduate student training program was given. On the example of universities in a number of countries, the following are proposed: the introduction of credit units on the research part of the educational component of the domestic postgraduate training program, as well as the assessment of the cost of certain types of research activities. Variants of educational routes have been developed for the research part of postgraduate training in natural-mathematical, engineering-technical and social-humanitarian areas. The results of the study allow, on the basis of the introduction of credits in the research part of postgraduate training, to develop a criteria-based system for assessing the readiness of graduate students for final certification. The developed educational route options allow for more productive implementation of postgraduate training as a whole.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document