Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-162). / xi, 162 leaves, bound ill. (some col.), maps 29 cm

The comparison of alternative systems of disposing efficiently and effectively of four to five pounds of solid waste per person per day in the United States urban communities is undertaken by using Kazanowski's standardized cost -effectiveness methodology. The economic criteria for studying this problem are often limited to cost or marketable measures; in contrast, use of a cost -effectiveness approach allows the inclusion of non- quantifiable measures of effectiveness such as public acceptance, politics, health risks, environmental considerations, and soil benefits. Data from a case study in Tucson, Arizona, is used to illustrate the problem.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / Community Medicine / Master / Master of Public Health

published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis investigated the cost-effectiveness of a 12-month supervised aerobic walking program with or without a behavioural intervention and an educational pamphlet, compared to an unsupervised/self-directed educational pamphlet intervention, among individuals with moderate osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Analyses included an economic evaluation to assess the cost effectiveness of the two walking interventions from both the societal and Canadian provincial/territorial health care payer perspectives. A value of information analysis exploring the potential value of future research was also performed. Results revealed that the unsupervised/self-directed intervention was the most cost-effective approach given that it cost the least to implement and participants had higher quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Walking, either supervised in a community setting, or unsupervised in a setting such as the home, may be a favourable non-pharmacological option for the management of OA of the knee. The thesis concludes with a policy discussion relating to the funding of non-pharmacological therapies.

CIVINS / Due to environmental regulations, waste water disposal for US Navy ships has become a requirement which impacts both operations and the US Navy's budget. In 2006, the cost for waste water disposal Navy-wide was 54 million dollars. There are many advanced waste water treatment technologies in the research and development stage at academic institutions, private corporations, and government labs. Additionally, considerable progress has been made in installing and operating unique waste water treatment systems onboard merchant and commercial vessels, showing that waste water treatment technologies are near the maturity level required for installation on US Navy ships. Installation and operations costs can be estimated from data collected from merchant ships, but the accompanying life cycle liquid disposal costs savings can be difficult to estimate. A cost estimator is presented which allows variations in ship's operational schedule and aids in determining the total life cycle savings, and the time for return on investment, when waste destruction technologies are installed in a class of ship. Additionally, the properties of one waste water destruction medium, supercritical water, are reviewed and its use in efficient and environmentally safe chemical processes are discussed. In particular, supercritical water is the medium of choice for the performance of a biomass to synthetic natural gas conversion process. The supercritical water is utilized to aid in a vital salt separation process which allows for efficient 4 hydrothermal gasification. Numerical simulations of the salt separation process are completed which help in understanding the flow properties. The results will aid in yielding an optimized salt separation process, improving the efficiency and viability of the conversion process. / CIVINS

Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is one of the most common presenting complaints in our medical system with up to 30% of females affected by this condition. The current evaluation and management of AUB often requires multiple lengthy visits to both general practitioners and specialists. Advances in endoscopic technology have allowed clinicians to diagnose and treat women presenting with AUB in a single-visit within an outpatient uterine assessment and treatment unit (UATU). Unfortunately, the UATU is not the standard of care with very few locations in Canada providing this type of service. This thesis project aimed to synthesize data pertaining to efficacy and safety as well as to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a UATU service model compared to usual care in diagnosing and treating AUB. To address the main aim for this thesis project, the first manuscript focuses on the hysteroscopic procedures that may be offered in a UATU. The manuscript includes a systematic review that synthesizes outcome measures surrounding efficacy, patient safety, and cost data of outpatient hysteroscopy compared to hysteroscopy performed in the operating room. The second manuscript is a cost-effectiveness modelling study that compares cost and effectiveness outcomes, including time to diagnosis and time to treatment of a UATU versus usual care for women who present with AUB. Data used to populate the cost-effectiveness model were obtained from a retrospective review of patient charts and the published literature. The systematic review found no statistically significant difference in the safety, efficacy, or patient tolerability between outpatient and intraoperative hysteroscopy procedures. This review helps provide further support for performing procedures outside of a traditional operating room without increasing patient harm or compromising efficacy. However, given the current available evidence and limited number of studies, findings should be interpreted with caution. The cost-effectiveness analysis found that a UATU is cost-effective when compared to usual care in diagnosing and treating patients who present with AUB. These two studies combined provide evidence to support that the UATU has the potential to improve gynecologic care by reducing wait-times to receiving diagnosis and treatment and to lower overall costs to the health care system.

No description available.

O diabetes é uma doença crônica, caracterizada pelo aumento dos níveis glicêmicos, podendo levar a complicações, como neuropatia, retinopatia e nefropatia. O profissional farmacêutico possui fundamental papel no controle da doença, sendo responsável pela farmacoterapia, capaz de identificar e resolver problemas relacionados a medicamentos, proporcionar maior adesão ao tratamento e consequente melhoria dos parâmetros clínicos. Com aumento das necessidades em saúde e a disponibilidade finita de recursos, os gestores devem avaliar se tecnologias em saúde são tanto eficazes quanto econômicas. Dessa forma, este trabalho teve como objetivo geral analisar a relação custo efetividade da atenção farmacêutica no tratamento do diabetes mellitus tipo 2. Para tanto, descreveu os principais métodos de avaliação econômica em saúde e baseado nos dados dos estudos de Borges (2008) e Pereira (2012) como, dados clínicos de hemoglobina glicosilada e glicemia de jejum, bem como consumo de medicamentos, número de consultas, além de dados referentes a complicações do diabetes, este trabalho valorizou os custos diretos e indiretos e mensurou as efetividades para controle da glicemia de jejum, controle da hemoglobina glicosilada e anos de vida ganho, segundo tratamento convencional (grupo controle) e tratamento convencional associado a atenção farmacêutica (grupo atenção farmacêutica). Sendo assim, conclui que a atenção farmacêutica exibiu, para o período de 2007 a 2011, maior efetividade para os parâmetros de glicemia de jejum, hemoglobina glicosilada e anos de vida ganhos, associado a menores custos quando comparada ao grupo controle, sendo a alternativa com menor custo efetividade para o tratamento de diabetes mellitus tipo 2, estando posicionada no quadrante dominante \"D\" do diagrama de custo efetividade incremental. / Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by increased blood glucose levels, which can lead to complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy. Pharmacists has key role in controlling the disease and is responsible for pharmacotherapy, able to identify and resolve drug-related problems, providing greater adherence to treatment and consequent improvement of the clinical parameters. The increase in health needs and the finite availability of resources, managers should assess whether health technologies are both effective as economic. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the cost effectiveness of pharmaceutical care in the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2. Therefore, described the main economic evaluation methods in health and based on data from Borges studies (2008) and Pereira (2012) as clinical data glycosylated hemoglobin and fasting glucose, and medication consumption, number of visits, as well as data for diabetes complications, this study valued the direct and indirect costs and measured the effectivities for fasting glycemic control, glycosylated hemoglobin control and years of life gained, according to conventional treatment (control group) and conventional treatment associated with pharmaceutical care (pharmaceutical care group). Therefore, concludes that the pharmaceutical care exhibited for the period 2007-2011, more effective for fasting glucose parameters, glycosylated hemoglobin and years of life gained, combined with lower costs when compared to the control group, and the alternative lower cost effectiveness for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2, being positioned in the dominant quadrant \"D\" from the incremental cost effectiveness diagram.