Publication: A Guide for Diagnostic Evaluations
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2010
ISSN
1740-1534 (Electronic)
1740-1526 (Linking)
Published
2010
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Accurate diagnostic tests have a key role in patient management and the control of most infectious diseases. Unfortunately, in many developing countries, clinical care is often critically compromised by the lack of regulatory controls on the quality of these tests. The information available on the performance of a diagnostic test can be biased or flawed because of failings in the design of the studies which assessed the performance characteristics of the test. As a result, diagnostic tests are sold and used in much of the developing world without evidence of effectiveness. Misdiagnosis leading to failure to treat a serious infection or wasting expensive treatment on people who are not infected remains a serious obstacle to health.
Link to Data Set
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Citations
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Public Health Surveillance Toolkit : A Guide for Busy Task Managers(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2002-02)This toolkit draws on the expertise of public health practitioners who have experience with public health surveillance and who have recognized the core role of surveillance in public health. These practitioners have advocated for surveillance programs, supplied innovative ideas, and provided insightful critiques over many years. This toolkit also draws on the experience of Bank staff and technical experts from the PAHO and the CDC who have contributed to Bank missions. The toolkit also makes use of WHO references, primarily those from the WHO s Web site. Part A of this toolkit provides some theoretical concepts, and knowledge about surveillance that has been gained through applying these concepts and the practice of surveillance in developing countries. Part B provides information that will be useful to Task Managers as they prepare loans for strengthening public health surveillance systems. Several World Bank experiences are shared. The focus of part B is on practical aspects of surveillance and on lessons learned.Publication Laboratory Professionals in Africa : The Backbone of Quality Diagnostics(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-11)Laboratories have historically been under supported in developing country health systems resulting in poor quality diagnosis and inadequate disease surveillance. Laboratory professionals are predominantly male with relatively limited female labor participation, with potential gender based barriers to advancement. The focus on communicable diseases has meant that funding for broader public health laboratory services has been relatively neglected. In this paper the authors present a number of strategies to address these problems based on the outcomes from a literature review and case studies conducted in four African countries. Improved registration and human resource planning are required to establish the scale of the problem and to develop country specific strategies to address skills shortages. More high quality pre-service training is needed to supply the service with suitably skilled professional staff to address the current deficit. Innovative in-service training is essential to maintain competence and collaboration is required with the private sector to utilize their expertise. A clear career structure with transparent promotional opportunities is required to recruit and retain staff in the public sector. The establishment of suitable work environments and regulatory and representative bodies will also support recruitment and retention as well as enhance quality. It is also clear that this cadre has been underrepresented in human resources for health research and more activity in this area will lead to greater understanding of the problems and provide more potential solutions.Publication Establishing Private Health Care Facilities in Developing Countries : A Guide for Medical Entrepreneurs(2007)This book is a practical guide for medical professionals who are interested in establishing health care facilities in developing countries. It is intended for individuals and organizations with little or no business experience who are seeking guidance on how to turn a general idea into concrete reality. The author's goals in writing the book were modest. The guide does not provide an exact roadmap for building a hospital or other type of health care facility, nor is there any guarantee that the new entrepreneur who follows the approach described will be able to obtain financing from investors. Rather, the book is designed as an introductory resource with which to begin the process.Publication Evaluating the Economic and Health Impacts of Investing in Laboratories in East Africa(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-05)Laboratories provide essential services to the health sector on the monitoring and treatment of disease. Routine implementation of new diagnostic techniques may be costly; therefore, understanding their clinical utility, impact, and cost-effectiveness are necessary to guide decisions as to whether and how such techniques should be implemented. In this study, the authors design a conceptual framework for examining the following: (1) optimal mix of laboratory services at different levels of the health system; (2) combination of resources required within laboratories to promote efficiency; and (3) potential for outsourcing to promote cost containment. The framework considers both the health and economic rationale for laboratory investments. The authors then use the conceptual framework to inform a decision analytics model that maps out the health and economic impact of laboratory investments, and to illustrate the model by investigating the best placement of a new technology (GeneXpert) for detecting multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The illustrative application of the model shows that investment in a new diagnostic technology for MDR-TB is cost-effective regardless of placement in a district-level (satellite) or national-level (reference) laboratory. Placement of the GeneXpert system at the satellite laboratory results in patients tested for MDR-TB or TB at lower costs than the reference laboratory. Furthermore, if testing occurs at the satellite laboratory, more primary and secondary cases are treated and cured than if testing was conducted at the reference laboratory, leading to better outcomes. Overall, testing at the satellite laboratory results in more deaths averted and more disability life-adjusted years (DALYs) saved. Both facilities have average costs per DALY well below the World Health Organization (WHO) - suggested threshold for the per capita gross domestic product (GDP). However, the satellite laboratory saves more DALYs at a lower additional cost per DALY.Publication Lao People's Democratic Republic - Operational Costs of Trade-Related Sanitary and Phytosanitary Activities(World Bank, 2010-07-01)Information derived from sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) surveillance and monitoring activities is an increasingly important requirement for market access and a crucial input for risk management and policymaking. This study report was undertaken with resources provided by the trade development facility multi donor trust fund to assist the Government of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) in assessing minimum levels of public operational funding needed to expand surveillance and diagnostic activities related to the management of SPS risks in Lao PDR. It provides policy options and recommendations for expanding the scope of current SPS activities, and assessments of additional operational costs needed for sustainably performing the recommended expanded activities. This introductory chapter describes SPS activities in general and the growth of SPS capacities in Lao PDR. Chapter two describes the scope and methodology of the study. Chapter three presents a basic discussion of issues and broad estimates of costs of laboratories and testing. Chapters four-six discuss present activities undertaken in the areas of food safety, plant health, and animal health, respectively, together with recommendations for their expansion and corresponding cost estimates. Chapter seven presents a summary of recommendations and conclusions.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
No results found.