Health technology assessment : HTA
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Health Technol Assess · Jan 2012
Multicenter StudyPulse oximetry as a screening test for congenital heart defects in newborn infants: a test accuracy study with evaluation of acceptability and cost-effectiveness.
Screening for congenital heart defects (CHDs) relies on antenatal ultrasound and postnatal clinical examination; however, life-threatening defects often go undetected. ⋯ The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology programme.
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Health Technol Assess · Jan 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialManaging Injuries of the Neck Trial (MINT): a randomised controlled trial of treatments for whiplash injuries.
To examine the clinical effectiveness of a stepped care approach over a 12-month period after an acute whiplash injury; to estimate the costs and cost-effectiveness of each strategy including treatments and subsequent health-care costs; and to gain participants' perspective on experiencing whiplash injury, NHS treatment, and recovery within the context of the Managing Injuries of the Neck Trial (MINT). ⋯ MINT suggests that enhanced psycho-educational interventions in EDs are no more effective than UCA in reducing the burden of acute whiplash injuries. A physiotherapy package provided to people who have persisting symptoms within the first 6 weeks of injury produced additional short-term benefits in neck disability compared with a single physiotherapy advice session. However, from a health-care perspective, the physiotherapy package was not cost-effective at current levels of willingness to pay. Both experimental treatments were associated with increased cost with no discernible gain in health-related quality of life. However, an important benefit of the physiotherapy package was a reduction in work days lost; consequently, the intervention may prove cost-effective at the societal level.
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Health Technol Assess · Jan 2012
Informing a decision framework for when NICE should recommend the use of health technologies only in the context of an appropriately designed programme of evidence development.
The general issue of balancing the value of evidence about the performance of a technology and the value of access to a technology can be seen as central to a number of policy questions. Establishing the key principles of what assessments are needed, as well as how they should be made, will enable them to be addressed in an explicit and transparent manner. ⋯ The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.
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Health Technol Assess · Jan 2012
Outcomes of social care for adults: developing a preference-weighted measure.
The aim of this study was to develop a measure of social care outcome, an equivalent to the quality-adjusted life year (QALY) in health, which could be used in a range of circumstances. ⋯ The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.
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Health Technol Assess · Dec 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyA 1-year follow-on study from a randomised, head-to-head, multicentre, open-label study of two pandemic influenza vaccines in children.
Pandemic influenza A H1N1 infections occurred worldwide from 2009. Children were particularly vulnerable. Novel vaccines were used during the pandemic. ⋯ Nearly all children who received two doses of AS03B-adjuvanted split-virion pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccine had titres of antibody deemed protective (HI titre ≥ 1 : 32, MN titre ≥ 1 : 40) 1 year later. Children who received two doses of whole-virion vaccine had lower titres, although many were above the putative protective thresholds. One year after either pandemic vaccine, the 2010-11 trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine produced a marked serological response to the H1N1 component of the vaccine and was well tolerated. We propose to investigate whether or not previous receipt of monovalent influenza vaccines affected serological response to the H3N2 and B components of the 2010-11 seasonal influenza vaccine, using stored sera.