Timber transportation is known to be the most important and expensive single component in timber harvesting. It is a crucial part in harvesting planning especially where difficulty terrain and long distances are involved. This paper presents a study of a skyline logging system, Mkumbara, Northeast Tanzania, where difficult terrain and ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The rising cost of health care is of universal concern. If the cost effectiveness of conventional and novel radiotherapeutic strategies is to be established we need to have confidence in our estimates of both cost and effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to explore the degree ...

The worldwide incidence of kidney failure is on the rise and treatment is costly; thus, the global burden of illness is growing. Kidney failure patients require either a kidney transplant or dialysis to maintain life. This review focuses on the economics of dialysis. Alternative dialysis modalities are haemodialysis (HD) and ...

Life-history trade-offs between components of fitness arise because reproduction entails both gains and costs. Costs of reproduction can be divided into ecological and physiological costs. The latter have been rarely studied yet are probably a dominant component of the effect. A deeper understanding of life-history evolution will only come about ...

A prevalence-based cost-of-illness study using a societal perspective was conducted to investigate the cost-of-illness in clinically anxious youth aged 8-18 in The Netherlands. Discriminant validity of the cost diary used was obtained by comparing costs of families with an anxious child (n = 118) to costs of families from the ...

BACKGROUND: The physical and social environment influences access to a healthy lifestyle, of which transport is one determining factor. This paper estimates the cost of transport on the island of Ireland. METHODS: Budget standards were developed on the basis of costs of baskets of core goods and services required for ...

BACKGROUND: The UK National Health Service (NHS) will fund renal services using Payment by Results (PbR), from 2009. Central to the success of PbR will be the creation of tariffs that reflect the true cost of medical services. We have therefore estimated the cost of different dialysis modalities in the ...

The thesis presents results and analysis of investigation conducted in four regional directorates of Polish State Forests and twelve forest districts (three in each directorate). The survey was done in autumn 2007. The main aim of the study was to find an answer for query “What are the costs and ...

BACKGROUND: Although nosocomial infections (NIs) are widely regarded as expensive complications of healthcare delivery, their costs have not been rigorously quantified in large-scale studies. Additionally, problems that can bias cost estimates have often gone unaddressed. For example, are NIs more likely to cause significant extra length of stay (LOS) and ...

BACKGROUND: The cost of the biological drug abatacept may be partly offset by reductions in the cost of productivity losses due to employee absences and reduced effectiveness at work because of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: This was a 1-year productivity cost model based on epidemiologic and economic data. The setting ...

This paper reviews the published literature on the costs and benefits of low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) compared with unfractionated heparin (UFH), in patients with non-ST-segment-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). Although LMWH has superior efficacy to UFH in NSTE-ACS, it must also provide cost-effectiveness or net-cost savings before its wide use can ...

OBJECTIVE: Documenting service costs is important for psychiatric rehabilitation programs to make persuasive arguments to policymakers/funders about their role in system transformation efforts. The purpose of this study was to report program costs, annual costs per member, and costs per day over three years (2003-2006) for 29 clubhouses that are ...

OBJECTIVES: A database analysis evaluating the comparative costs and outcomes of asthma treatment with breath-actuated inhalers (BAIs) and metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) has previously been undertaken in 2001. This analysis found that, despite the higher acquisition cost associated with BAIs, economies elsewhere meant that the overall cost associated with BAIs was ...

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: The economic burden of low back pain (LBP) is very large and appears to be growing. It is not possible to impact this burden without understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the research on which these costs are calculated. PURPOSE: To conduct a systematic review of LBP cost ...

Ethical conflicts are a common phenomenon in today's healthcare settings. As healthcare executives focus on balancing quality care and cost containment, recognizing the costs associated with ethical conflicts is only logical. In this article, we present five case vignettes to identify several general cost categories related to ethical conflicts, including ...

A successful strategy for developing affordable diagnostics begins with a shift in viewpoint. Diagnostics is a tool for generating clinical information. Amassed experience in different parts of the globe has shown that this process of generating and utilizing clinical information is not only different among various countries but also different ...

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common mental health disorder in youths. Stimulants are the drugs of first choice in the treatment of ADHD. It has been suggested that full costs associated with the treatment of ADHD may be reduced by once-daily administration regimens of stimulants. OBJECTIVES: To ...

The objective of this review was to overview published cost-of-illness (COI) studies of epilepsy and their methodological approaches. Epilepsy imposes a substantial burden on individuals and society as a whole. The mean prevalence of epilepsy is estimated at 0.52% in Europe, 0.68% in the US, and peaks up to 1.5% ...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to estimate the potential cost-effectiveness and expected value of perfect information of a recently derived clinical prediction rule for patients presenting to emergency departments with chest discomfort. METHODS: A decision analytic model was constructed to compare the Early Disposition Prediction Rule (EDPR) with ...

Across the country, incoming child welfare caseworkers have an average tenure of 2 years, and states are being evaluated on the quality of caseworker training programs and their ability to provide child welfare services that meet federally mandated outcomes. Policy makers do not know the cost of workforce turnover and ...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate doctors' knowledge of the relative and absolute costs of diagnostic tests, medical consumables (e.g., syringes or intravenous tubing), and healthcare visits as well as to determine factors influencing awareness. METHODS: For this systematic review, we searched the Cochrane Library, EconoLit, EMBASE, ...

PURPOSE: This paper identifies key methodological issues for economic analyses of costs and effectiveness of Assistive Technology (AT) systems based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Following the biopsychosocial model of the ICF, the paper explores the consequences for cost-effectiveness analyses of AT systems when a ...

The aim of this study was to review studies examining the direct and indirect costs of atopic dermatitis in the United States. A search was performed using OVID MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, EMBASE, the International Agency for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA) database, and the Cochrane Library. All ...

The number of cataract extractions has increased substantially over time. At present, cataract surgery is estimated to be the most common single procedure performed in the developed world. The present study compares the costs of a cataract intervention across nine European countries. To enhance comparability, data were collected using a ...

OBJECTIVES: Multidisciplinary and multifactorial interventions seem to be effective in preventing falls. We aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of a multidisciplinary fall prevention program compared with usual Dutch healthcare in community-dwelling people 65 years of age or older who experienced a fall. METHODS: Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis were performed from ...

This study estimated economic impacts associated with the West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak in horses for North Dakota in 2002. The 2002 epidemic in the United States was the largest meningoencephalitis epidemic reported in the Western Hemisphere. Over 15,257 horse cases were reported in 43 states with most cases occurring ...

Since 1999, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal Programme has been charged with producing guidance for the NHS in England and Wales on the appropriate use of new and existing healthcare programmes. Guidance is based on an assessment of a number of factors, including cost ...

OBJECTIVE: A cost-minimisation and budget impact analysis of erlotinib versus docetaxel or pemetrexed as second-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Costs and budgetary impacts were estimated from the perspective of a Brazilian private healthcare payer, based on results of the BR.21 study of erlotinib and pivotal trials ...

AIM: The purpose of this analysis was to assess the budgetary impact and cost effectiveness of the national use of thrombolysis with alteplase (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator; rt-PA) for acute ischaemic stroke via telemedicine in Denmark. METHODS: Computations were based on a Danish health economic model of thrombolysis treatment of ...

The XENDOS study showed that behavioural and pharmacological therapy can decrease the risk of metabolic disorders in obese patients. METHODS: A probabilistic Bayesian Markov model simulating the outcomes of orlistat treatment on the obese Italian population has been developed with the WinBUGS software. The model integrates an algorithm to estimate ...

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are genetically engineered forms of erythropoietin that are used in the treatment of anaemia. Their successful use in the treatment of anaemia associated with renal disease, cancer and other diseases, as well as the development of multiple agents, has increased the visibility of these agents in the ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incremental cost-effectiveness of using propofol versus midazolam for procedural sedation (PS) in adults in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: The authors conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis from the perspective of the health care provider. The primary outcome was the incremental cost (or savings) to achieve one additional ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Elderly injuries are a recognized public health concern and are due to two factors; osteoporosis and accidental falls. Several osteoporosis pharmaceuticals are considered cost-effective, but intervention programs aiming at preventing falls should also be subjected to economic evaluations. This study presents a cost-effectiveness analysis of a community-based elderly ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention programs can mitigate the health and economic burden of STIs. A tool to estimate the economic benefits of STI programs could prove useful to STI program personnel. METHODS: We developed formulas that can be applied to estimate the direct medical costs and indirect ...

BACKGROUND: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for six months is the mainstay of global child health and the preferred feeding option for HIV-infected mothers for whom replacement feeding is inappropriate. Promotion of community-level EBF requires effective personnel and management to ensure quality counselling and support for women. We present a costing and ...

Access to "high cost medicines" through Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is tightly regulated. It is inherently difficult to apply any criteria-based system of control in a way that provides a fair balance between efficient use of limited resources for community needs and equitable individual access to care. We suggest, ...

BACKGROUND: ME/CFS is characterized by debilitating fatigue in addition to other physical and cognitive symptoms. It is estimated to affect over 800,000 adults in the U.S. ME/CFS often results in diminished functionality and increased economic impact. The economic impact of an illness is generally divided into two categories: direct and ...

BACKGROUND: The cost-effectiveness of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) in reducing morbidity and mortality is well established. International focus has now moved on to how best to scale up coverage and what financing mechanisms might be used to achieve this. The approach in Tanzania has been to deliver a targeted subsidy for ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Intravitreal ranibizumab prevents vision loss and improves visual acuity in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, but it is expensive, and efficacy beyond 2 years is uncertain. METHODS: We assessed the cost-effectiveness of ranibizumab compared with no ranibizumab over 10 years, using randomized trial efficacy data for the ...

BACKGROUND: Awareness of the potential impact of malaria among school-age children has stimulated investigation into malaria interventions that can be delivered through schools. However, little evidence is available on the costs and cost-effectiveness of intervention options. This paper evaluates the costs and cost-effectiveness of intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) as delivered ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in Vietnam. The purpose of this study is to estimate the costs, in the first year post-injury, of non-fatal traumatic brain injury (TBI) in motorcycle users not wearing helmets in Hanoi, Vietnam. The costs are calculated ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking is a risk factor for age-related macular degeneration, but studies of ex-smokers suggest quitting can reduce the risk. METHODS: We fitted a function predicting the decline in risk of macular degeneration after quitting to data from 7 studies involving 1,488 patients. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of ...

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is rapidly growing as a proportion of the disease burden in Australia as elsewhere. This study addresses the cost effectiveness of an integrated approach to assisting general practitioners (GPs) with diabetes management. This approach uses a centralized database of clinical data of an Australian Division of ...

BACKGROUND: Five large insecticide-treated net (ITN) programmes and two indoor residual spraying (IRS) programmes were compared using a standardized costing methodology. METHODS: Costs were measured locally or derived from existing studies and focused on the provider perspective, but included the direct costs of net purchases by users, and are reported ...

BACKGROUND: The recent development and publication of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for acute low back pain (LBP) has resulted in evidence-based recommendations that, if implemented, have the potential to improve the quality and safety of care for acute LBP. While a strategy has been specified for dissemination of the ...

To estimate the cost to the NHS and to parents and carers of treating febrile preschool children with paracetamol, ibuprofen, or both, and to compare these costs with the benefits of each treatment regimen. Cost consequences analysis and cost effectiveness analysis conducted as part of a three arm, randomised controlled ...

There has been growing interest in the application of institutionalist perspectives in the health economics literature. This paper investigates the institutionalist notion of social value and its use in economic evaluation with particular reference to a program to address HIV/AIDS and gender violence in Southern Africa (IMAGE). Institutions are the ...

OBJECTIVES: In trial-based analyses, the Human Capital (HC) approach is currently applied alternately with and without the incorporation of productivity costs for persons who are work disabled at baseline of the trial. We call these methods HC-extended (HC(EXT)) and HC-limited (HC(LIM)), respectively. Aim of the paper is to compare productivity ...

BACKGROUND: A decade after promulgation of treatment guidelines by the Brain Trauma Foundation (BTF), few studies exist that examine the application of these guidelines for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. These studies have reported both cost savings and reduced mortality. MATERIALS: We projected the results of previous studies of ...

Substantial variation exists with respect to the management of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in children. Centers that practice aggressive treatment of TBI may improve survival, but it is not clear that the outcomes can be justified using cost-effectiveness criteria. This study illustrates the use of cost-effectiveness analysis to assess interventions ...