A Mixed-Methods Assessment of India's Health Technology Assessment Ecosystem.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the technical quality of health technology assessment (HTA) studies conducted in India. Second, we aim to identify process-related challenges across the life cycle of an HTA from commissioning to policy translation.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed to assess HTA studies conducted between 2018 and 2023 conducted by ten regional resource centers.

Is health technology assessment value for money? Estimating the return on investment of health technology assessment in India (HTAIn).

An increasing investment in health technology assessment (HTA) in low-income and middle-income countries has generated greater interest from policy-makers about the value and return on investment (ROI) of HTA. Few studies have, however, quantified the benefits of HTA in terms of its value to the health system. This evaluation aims to quantify the impact and ROI achieved by the HTA agency in India (HTAIn).

Pilot study of a ketogenic diet in bipolar disorder: a process evaluation.

Background: Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness, which requires new strategies for prevention and management. Recent evidence suggests that a ketogenic diet may be an effective intervention. This research aimed to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a ketogenic diet intervention for bipolar disorder, fidelity to its behavioural components and the experiences of the participants and research clinicians involved.

The Impact of Alternate Methodological and Structural Assumptions on Results of Cost-effectiveness Analysis: Empirical Evidence using Three Indian Economic Evaluations.

Background: Despite advancement in methods and application of economic evaluations (EEs), there are several uncertainties.

Objectives: To assess the impact of alternate methodological and structural assumptions for four key principles of EE, on the results of cost-effectiveness analysis.

Materials And Methods: Three previously published model-based EEs were used: (1) Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses (IMNCIs) intervention; (2) intervention for multiple myeloma, and (3) safety-engineered syringes (SES) intervention.

Protocol for a quasi-experimental study to ascertain the effectiveness of using eKnee School approach to impart self-care education to patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients seek improvement in their quality of life by attaining independence in activities of daily living. Literature recommends nonpharmacological intervention as first-line treatment for KOA. The study aims to ascertain the effectiveness of online supervised nonpharmacological intervention sessions of virtual knee school (eKS) training among mild and moderate KOA patients in comparison to routine care during COVID-19 pandemic and assessment of cost-effectiveness of eKS against the routine care for KOA patients during COVID-19 pandemic.

Refining the provider payment system of India's government-funded health insurance programme: an econometric analysis.

Objectives: Reimbursement rates in national health insurance schemes are frequently weighted to account for differences in the costs of service provision. To determine weights for a differential case-based payment system under India's publicly financed national health insurance scheme, the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), by exploring and quantifying the influence of supply-side factors on the costs of inpatient admissions and surgical procedures.

Design: Exploratory analysis using regression-based cost function on data from a multisite health facility costing study-the Cost of Health Services in India (CHSI) Study.

Pilot study of a ketogenic diet in bipolar disorder.

Background: Recent evidence from case reports suggests that a ketogenic diet may be effective for bipolar disorder. However, no clinical trials have been conducted to date.

Aims: To assess the recruitment and feasibility of a ketogenic diet intervention in bipolar disorder.

Cost-effectiveness of population-based screening for oral cancer in India: an economic modelling study.

Background: Oral cancer screening reduces mortality associated with oral cancer. The current study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of commonly used screening techniques, namely conventional oral examination (COE), toluidine blue staining (TBS), oral cytology (OC), and light-based detection (LBD) in the Indian scenario.

Methods: The study used a Markov modelling approach to estimate the cost and health outcomes of four different approaches (COE, TBS, OC, and LBD) for screening oral cancer over time from a societal perspective.

Development of the Indian Reference Case for undertaking economic evaluation for health technology assessment.

Background: Health technology assessment (HTA) is globally recognised as an important tool to guide evidence-based decision-making. However, heterogeneity in methods limits the use of any such evidence. The current research was undertaken to develop a set of standards for conduct of economic evaluations for HTA in India, referred to as the Indian Reference Case.

Impact of India's publicly financed health insurance scheme on public sector district hospitals: a health financing perspective.

Background: Districts hospitals in India play a pivotal role in delivering health care services in the public sector and are empanelled under India's national health insurance scheme i.e. (PMJAY).

Cost-effectiveness analysis of 'test and treat' policy for antiretroviral therapy among heterosexual HIV population in India.

Background & Objectives: The World Health Organisation recommended immediate initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in all adult human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients regardless of their CD4 cell count. This study was undertaken to ascertain the cost-effectiveness of implementation of these guidelines in India.

Methods: A Markov model was developed to assess the lifetime costs and health outcomes of three scenarios for initiation of ART treatment at varying CD4 cell count <350/mm, <500/mm and test and treat using health system perspective using life-time horizon.

Study protocol for economic evaluation of probiotic intervention for prevention of neonatal sepsis in 0-2-month old low-birth weight infants in India: the ProSPoNS trial.

Introduction: The ProSPoNS trial is a multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the role of probiotics in prevention of neonatal sepsis. The present protocol describes the data and methodology for the cost utility of the probiotic intervention alongside the controlled trial.

Methods And Analysis: A societal perspective will be adopted in the economic evaluation.

Impact and cost-effectiveness evaluation of nutritional supplementation and complementary interventions for tuberculosis treatment outcomes under mukti pay-for-performance model in Madhya Pradesh, India: A study protocol.

Background: A.

Unlabelled: "pay-for-performance" (P4P) intervention model for improved tuberculosis (TB) outcomes, called "Mukti," has been implemented in an underdeveloped tribal area of central India. The target of this project is to improve nutritional status, quality of life (QoL), and treatment outcomes of 1000 TB patients through four interventions: food baskets, personal counseling, peer-to-peer learning and facilitation for linkage to government schemes.

Cost-Effectiveness of the First Line Treatment Options For Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma in India.

Purpose: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as sunitinib and pazopanib are the mainstay of treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) in India. However, pembrolizumab and nivolumab have shown significant improvement in the median progression-free survival and overall survival among patients with mRCC. In this study, we aimed to determine the cost-effectiveness of the first-line treatment options for the patients with mRCC in India.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Screening of Lip and Oral Cavity Cancers or Potentially Malignant Disorders (PMD) by Frontline Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Oral cancer screening strategies help reduce associated mortality and could be performed by a trained frontline health worker (FHW). The present review aims to assess the diagnostic accuracy of commonly used screening modalities for oral cancer performed by FHW in apparently healthy individuals.

Methods: Electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, were searched.

An Opportunity for Prevention: Associations Between the Life's Essential 8 Score and Cardiovascular Incidence Using Prospective Data from UK Biobank.

To investigate the association between the Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score and the incidence of four cardiovascular outcomes (ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure [HF]) - separately and as a composite outcome of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) - in UK Biobank. 250,825 participants were included in this prospective study. Smoking, non-HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, HbA1c, physical activity, diet, and sleep were used to create a modified version of the LE8 score.

Cost of hospital services in India: a multi-site study to inform provider payment rates and Health Technology Assessment.

The 'Cost of Health Services in India (CHSI)' is the first large scale multi-site facility costing study to incorporate evidence from a national sample of both private and public sectors at different levels of the health system in India. This paper provides an overview of the extent of heterogeneity in costs caused by various supply-side factors.A total of 38 public (11 tertiary care and 27 secondary care) and 16 private hospitals were sampled from 11 states of India.

Development of a Health Technology Assessment Quality Appraisal Checklist (HTA-QAC) for India.

Objective: We aim to develop a comprehensive checklist for evaluating Health Technology Assessment (HTA) studies commissioned in India. The primary objective of this work is to capture all vital aspects of an HTA study in terms of conduct, reporting and quality.

Methodology: The development of a quality appraisal checklist included 3 steps.

Financing Comprehensive Immunization Services in Lao PDR: A Fiscal Space Analysis From a Public Policy Perspective.

Introduction: A comprehensive package of immunization services is an internal component of the Essential Health Service Package (ESP) implemented by Government of Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Thus, the cost of delivering the immunization program and its feasibility given the fiscal space emerges as an important policy question. The present analysis was undertaken to estimate the total cost of implementing the immunization program under ESP, determinants of total cost and the program's fiscal implications from the government's perspective.

Intermittent Online Postdilution Hemodiafiltration versus High-Flux Hemodialysis in Non-critical Acute Kidney Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

The preferential use of convective modes of hemodialysis (HD) for targeting hyper-cytokinemia state in sepsis-related acute kidney injury (AKI) has been questioned for its efficacy. Several studies have used predilution hemodiafiltration (HDF) in critically ill AKI patients with mixed results. In this study, we compared intermittent online postdilution HDF with the standard high-flux (HF) intermittent HD in non-critically ill patients with community-acquired (CA) AKI.

COVID-19 management: The vaccination drive in India.

Objective: We undertook the study to present a comprehensive overview of COVID-19 related measures, largely centred around the development of vaccination related policies, their implementation and challenges faced in the vaccination drive in India.

Methods: A targeted review of literature was conducted to collect relevant data from official government documents, national as well as international databases, media reports and published research articles. The data were summarized to assess Indian government's vaccination campaign and its outcomes as a response to COVID-19 pandemic.

Health-Related Quality of Life Among Liver Disorder Patients in Northern India.

Objective: The present study aims to determine the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among liver disorder patients being treated in tertiary care hospital in north India and exploration of factors affecting HRQoL.

Methodology: The HRQoL was assessed among 230 patients visiting either the outpatient department (OPD) or those admitted in high dependency unit (HDU) or liver intensive care unit (ICU) using direct measuring tools such as Euro QoL five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D) and EQ visual analog scale. Multivariate regression was used to explore the factors influencing HRQoL.

Peritoneal dialysis-first initiative in India: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: The increasing burden of kidney failure (KF) in India necessitates provision of cost-effective kidney replacement therapy (KRT). We assessed the comparative cost-effectiveness of initiating KRT with peritoneal dialysis (PD) or haemodialysis (HD) in the Indian context.

Methods: The cost and clinical effectiveness of starting KRT with either PD or HD were measured in terms of life years (LYs) and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) using a mathematical Markov model.