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Influence of epidemic phase on the cost-effectiveness of a prevention intervention for sexually transmitted infection: an exploratory analysis.
Sexually Transmitted Infections 2007; 83 (Suppl I):i25-i29.
Chesson HW, White PJ.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To explore how the cost effectiveness of a behaviour-change prevention
programme for sexually transmitted infection (STI) varies with the phase of
an STI epidemic. METHODS: A model of STI transmission and standard methods
of cost-effectiveness analysis was used to examine the cost effectiveness
of a hypothetical, behaviour-change intervention initiated at various phases
of an STI epidemic. RESULTS: The intervention was more cost effective when
initiated in earlier phases of the epidemic rather than later phases, under
a range of scenarios. However, the relative impact of the timing of the initiation
of the STI prevention intervention on the cost effectiveness was quite small
compared with other important factors, such as the cost and impact of the
intervention and the lifetime medical cost of the STI. CONCLUSIONS: Earlier
initiation of an intervention can improve the cost effectiveness of the intervention,
although this result does not hold for all possible scenarios.