TY - JOUR
T1 - Equity and efficiency in the scaled-up implementation of integrated neglected tropical disease control
T2 - The health economics protocol of the COUNTDOWN multicountry observational study in Ghana, Cameroon and Liberia
AU - Woode, Maame Esi
AU - Khan, Jahangir A.M.
AU - Thomson, Rachael
AU - Niessen, Louis Wilhelmus
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding COUNTDOWN is a multidisciplinary research consortium dedicated to investigating cost-effective, scaled-up and sustainable solutions, necessary to control and eliminate the seven most common NTDs by 2020. COUNTDOWN was formed in 2014 and is funded by UKAID part of the Department for International Development (DFID). Grant ID: PO 6407. DFID has not been involved in the writing of the protocol nor the protocolmanuscript. Competing interests None declared.
Funding Information:
The study received approval from the following: ► The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Research Ethics Committee (Research Protocol (16-053, 16-061)). ► The Comité National d’éthique de la recherche pour la santé humaine (No. 2016/11/838/CE/CNERSH/ SP, No. 2016/11/833/CE/CNERSH/SP). ► The Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Committee (No. GHS-ERC: 16/01/2017). ► The University of Liberia, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Institutional Review Board (UL-PIRE IRB) (No. 17-02-027 with assurance No. FWA00004982). The study also received the required administrative clearances from the Ministry of Public Health, Republic of Cameroon (No. 631–03.17 and No. 631–01.17).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Article author(s).
PY - 2018/6/1
Y1 - 2018/6/1
N2 - Introduction Worldwide, millions of individuals are affected by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). They are frequently the poorest and most marginalised members of society. Their living conditions, among other things, make them susceptible to such diseases. Historically, several large-scale treatment programmes providing mass drug administrations (MDAs) were carried out per single disease but over the last decade there has been an increasing trend towards co-implementation of MDA activities given the resources used for such programmes are often the same. The COUNTDOWN multicountry studies focus on scaled-up implementation of integrated control strategies against four diseases: Lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis. The objective of the COUNTDOWN economic study is to assess the multicountry implementation of control interventions in terms of equity, impact and efficiency. Methods The health economic study uses different analytical methods to assess the relationship between NTDs and poverty and the cost-effectiveness of different large-scale intervention options. Regression analysis will be used to study the determinants of NTD occurrence, the impact of NTDs on poverty, factors that hinder access to MDAs and the effect of NTDs on quality-of-life of those affected, including disability. Cost-effectiveness analyses of various integration methods will be performed using health economic modelling to estimate the cost and programme impact of different integration options. Here, cost-effectiveness ratios will be calculated, including multivariate sensitivity analyses, using Bayesian analysis. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval has been received both at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and in all participating countries. Results of the various substudies will be presented for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Study dates 1 July 2016 to 30 June-October 2019.
AB - Introduction Worldwide, millions of individuals are affected by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). They are frequently the poorest and most marginalised members of society. Their living conditions, among other things, make them susceptible to such diseases. Historically, several large-scale treatment programmes providing mass drug administrations (MDAs) were carried out per single disease but over the last decade there has been an increasing trend towards co-implementation of MDA activities given the resources used for such programmes are often the same. The COUNTDOWN multicountry studies focus on scaled-up implementation of integrated control strategies against four diseases: Lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis. The objective of the COUNTDOWN economic study is to assess the multicountry implementation of control interventions in terms of equity, impact and efficiency. Methods The health economic study uses different analytical methods to assess the relationship between NTDs and poverty and the cost-effectiveness of different large-scale intervention options. Regression analysis will be used to study the determinants of NTD occurrence, the impact of NTDs on poverty, factors that hinder access to MDAs and the effect of NTDs on quality-of-life of those affected, including disability. Cost-effectiveness analyses of various integration methods will be performed using health economic modelling to estimate the cost and programme impact of different integration options. Here, cost-effectiveness ratios will be calculated, including multivariate sensitivity analyses, using Bayesian analysis. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval has been received both at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and in all participating countries. Results of the various substudies will be presented for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Study dates 1 July 2016 to 30 June-October 2019.
KW - Health equity
KW - cost-effectiveness analysis
KW - neglected tropical diseases
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U2 - 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020113
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020113
M3 - Article
C2 - 29961005
AN - SCOPUS:85049757121
SN - 2044-6055
VL - 8
JO - BMJ open
JF - BMJ open
IS - 6
M1 - e020113
ER -