The aims of this thesis were to evaluate caries-preventive measures from a societal perspective, to demonstrate the use of resources in preventive dentistry, to develop and discuss techniques suitable for evaluating dental care costs and outcomes, and to test costs and consequences within a health economic decision model adapted to preventive dental care. The thesis is based on three separate studies with three separate cohorts. In the first study, performed at a single dental clinic, analysis was made of data on dental caries progression over four years in 92 adolescents, along with the use of resources for preventive treatment. In the second study, data from the intervention study “Evaluation of caries-preventive measures” (performed between 1995 and 1999 at 26 dental health clinics throughout Sweden) were used for economic evaluation. Three different approaches to calculating unit cost were discussed, each of which reflect the differences in treatment costs as influenced by the practitioner’s level of skill and competence (salary) and by methods of handling overhead cost allocation. These methods seem useful for evaluating costs in cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA). The CEA showed an incremental cost-effectiveness over four years of SEK 2 043* per averted decayed (D) enamel (e) and dentine caries, missing (M) and filled (F) surface (S) (DeMFS). In the third study, 82 19-year-old individuals agreed to participate in a pilot exploratory case-control study. Individuals with high caries experience formed the test group while the control group consisted of individuals with no caries experience. To explore whether any differences existed between these two groups in perceived oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL), two OHRQOL measures were used. Additionally, the willingness of these individuals to pay (WTP) for a preventive strategy was elicited using the contingent valuation method (CVM) within a cost-benefit approach. Using these WTP values, the cost-benefit analyses showed positive net social benefit (NSB) values for both study groups, meaning that the benefits of prevention exceeded the costs. A new outcome measure, Value of Statistical Oral Health (VOSOH), was also presented. Consideration was also made, within the economic framework fundamental to this thesis, of the trend away from a strictly bio-medical paradigm towards a biopsychosocial perspective. The health economic decision model encompasses a number of different techniques for comparing costs with consequences, each with its own advantages and disadvantages and each with its own field of application. These techniques should be seen as complementary rather than competing. Preventive dentistry plays a central role in Swedish dental health care, and it is important that resources are used properly. Accurate evaluation methods are necessary in order to improve the basis for public decision-making; the methods proposed in this thesis seem to be of potential use in this endeavour. *SEK8.54 = US$1 (December 1999).

Aims: To assess effectiveness and economic benefit of the psychological treatment of anxiety disorders in order to compare them with the consumed resources of the treatment. Methods: Assessment of specific and non-specific symptoms and impairments in N=493 anxiety patients (DSM-IV) receiving cognitive behavior therapy pre, post, and one year after treatment with various measures. Additional analyses of costs of the treatment and the benefits due to reduced work disability and health care utilization after therapy (including a pilot study using a willingness-to-pay approach). The treatment setting can be characterised as clinically typical for everyday practice. Core results: a) effectiveness: Effect sizes ranged from 0.9 to 1.9. All improvements were significant and lasted until 1-year-follow-up. Rates of clinically significant therapy success ranged from 63% to 79% depending on outcome measure and success criteria. b) cost-effectiveness analysis: Cost-effectiveness-indices ranged from DM 8338.- to DM 10456.- for one successful treatment (average costs taking also the costs of unsuccessful treatments into account). c) cost-benefit-analysis: Cost reduction in the year after therapy was remarkable (inpatient costs about 25%, other cost factors 87%-100%), resulting in a benefit of DM 3026.- per patient and a cost-benefit-ratio of 1:0.58 in the first year after treatment. Assuming that the improvements are stable, the cost-benefit-ratio after five years would be estimated as 1:2.63. Discussion: The present study shows exemplarily for CBT of anxiety disorders that modern psychotherapy can produce remarkable results at reasonable costs. Furthermore, clinical-psychological treatment methods show an additional economic benefit. Clinical Psychology can benefit from focusing not only the promising developments in classification, etiology, and treatment but also taking over the cost perspective (which is relatively new in scientific evaluation of psychotherapy). (Appendix: Cost-Benefit-Calculator.htm; 8,97 KB -- Usage: Referat Informationsvermittlung/ SLUB) / Fragestellungen: Ermittlung von Effektivität und monetärem Nutzen psychologischer Behandlung von Angststörungen, die dann den für die Therapie aufgewendeten Ressourcen gegenübergestellt werden. Methoden: N=493 Patienten mit Angststörungen (DSM-IV), die eine ambulante störungsspezifische kognitive Verhaltenstherapie absolviert haben, wurden prä, post und zur 1-Jahres-Katamnese untersucht. Das Spektrum der Erhebungen umfasste störungsspezifische und störungsübergreifende Symptombelastung und Beeinträchtigungen in verschiedenen Lebensbereichen, sowie eine globale Therapieerfolgseinschätzung von Patienten und Therapeuten. In einer zweiten Studie wurden zusätzlich an einer Teilstichprobe Kosten-Nutzen-Aspekte untersucht (Einsparungen durch Reduktion von Gesundheitsleistungen und Arbeitsunfähigkeit; außerdem Pilotstudie zu willingness-to-pay-Ansatz). Das Behandlungssetting der Studie ist charakterisiert durch klinisch relevante Rahmenbedingungen und Praxisnähe. Zentrale Ergebnisse: a) Effektivität: Die Effektstärken reichten in Abhängigkeit von der Meßmethode von 0.9 bis 1.9. Die Verbesserungen waren durchgängig signifikant und blieben bis zur 1-Jahres-Katamnese stabil. Die Raten klinisch bedeutsamer Besserungen betrugen 63% - 79% in Abhängigkeit von Mess- und Auswertungsmethode. b) Kosten-Effektivitäts-Analyse: Die Kosten-Effektivitätivitäts-Indices betrugen DM 8338.- bis DM 10456.- (dieser Index gibt an, was eine erfolgreiche Behandlung durchschnittlich kostet, also unter Einbezug der nicht erfolgreichen Behandlungen in die Gesamtkosten). c) Kosten-Nutzen-Analyse: Im Jahr nach Therapie reduzierten sich die Kostenfaktoren der Störungen vor Therapie beträchtlich (stationäre Kosten um 25%, restliche Kostenfaktoren 87% - 100%). Die dadurch erzielten Einsparungen betrugen durchschnittlich DM 3026.- (Kosten-Nutzen-Verhältnis im ersten Jahr: 1 : 0.58). Unter der Annahme, dass die Auswirkungen der Therapie auch über die 1-Jahres-Katamnese hinaus stabil bleiben, kann man abschätzen, dass sich die Therapie innerhalb des zweiten Jahres amortisiert und das Kosten-Nutzen-Verhältnis nach fünf Jahren (diskontiert) 1 : 2.63 beträgt. Diskussion: Wie in dieser Arbeit anhand der kognitiven Verhaltenstherapie für Angststörungen gezeigt wird, kann moderne Psychotherapie bei vertretbarem Aufwand beachtliche Erfolge verbuchen. Klinisch-psychologische Behandlungsmethoden sind darüber hinaus auch wirtschaftlich, derart, dass sie über den reinen Behandlungserfolg hinaus zu Kosteneinsparungen beitragen könnten. Es ist erstaunlich, dass die Kosten-Perspektive der wissenschaftlichen Bewertung von Psychotherapie noch recht neu ist. Die Klinische Psychologie kann davon profitieren, diese Dimension (neben den beachtlichen Erkenntnisfortschritten in bezug auf Klassifikation, Ätiologie, Verlaufsforschung und Behandlungsverfahren) mehr herauszustellen. (Anlage: Cost-Benefit-Calculator.htm; 8,97 KB -- Nutzung: Referat Informationsvermittlung der SLUB)

Background: In the ‘Arimidex’, Tamoxifen Alone or in Combination (ATAC) trial, the aromatase inhibitor (AI) anastrozole had a ignificantly better efficacy and safety profile than tamoxifen as initial adjuvant therapy for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) early breast cancer (EBC) in postmenopausal patients. To compare the combined long-term clinical and economic benefits, we carried out a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of anastrozole versus tamoxifen based on the data of the 100- month analysis of the ATAC trial from the perspective of the German public health insurance. Patients and Methods: A Markov model with a 25-year time horizon was developed using the 100-month analysis of the ATAC trial as well as data obtained from published literature and expert opinion. Results: Adjuvant treatment of EBC with anastrozole achieved an additional 0.32 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained per patient compared with tamoxifen, at an additional cost of D 6819 per patient. Thus, the incremental cost effectiveness of anastrozole versus tamoxifen at 25 years was D 21,069 ($ 30,717) per QALY gained. Conclusions: This is the first CEA of an AI that is based on extended follow-up data, taking into account the carryover effect of anastrozole, which maintains the efficacy benefits beyond therapy completion after 5 years. Adjuvant treatment with anastrozole for postmenopausal women with HR+ EBC is a cost-effective alternative to tamoxifen. / Hintergrund: Bei der adjuvanten Therapie von postmenopausalen Patientinnen mit Hormonrezeptor-positivem (HR+) Mammakarzinom belegen die ATAC-100-Monatsdaten (ATAC-Studie: ‘Arimidex’, Tamoxifen Alone or in Combination) einen signifikanten Vorteil von Anastrozol gegenüber Tamoxifen in Bezug auf Rezidivrisiko und Verträglichkeit. Es wurde eine Kosten-Nutzwert-Analyse von Anastrozol im Vergleich zu Tamoxifen aus der Sicht des deutschen Gesundheitssystems durchgeführt. Material und Methoden: Als Berechnungsbasis wurde ein Markov- Modell zur Abschätzung der Kosteneffektivität entwickelt. Der Modellierungszeitraum umfasste 25 Jahre. Die Daten wurden anhand der ATAC-100-Monatsdaten, vorliegender Literatur und durch ein interdisziplinäres Expertenteam ermittelt. Ergebnisse: Eine adjuvante Therapie mit Anastrozol erzielte 0,32 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) pro Patientin mehr, verglichen mit einer adjuvanten Tamoxifentherapie. Die zusätzlichen Kosten der Therapie mit Anastrozol lagen bei 6819 D pro Patientin. Im Vergleich mit Tamoxifen erzielte Anastrozol einen ICER (Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio) von 21 069 D (30 717 $)/QALY über den gesamten Modellierungszeitraum. Schlussfolgerung: Diese Kosten- Nutzwert-Analyse eines Aromatasehemmers basiert erstmals auf einer Datenanalyse, die auch das Follow-Up und den sogenannten Carryover- Effekt nach einer abgeschlossenen 5-Jahres-Therapie beinhaltet. Anastrozol ist auch nach dieser Analyse aus der Sicht des deutschen Gesundheitssystems eine kosteneffektive Therapieoption für postmenopausale Patientinnen mit einem HR+ frühen Mammakarzinom. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Radiative forcing by increased atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by human activities could lead to strongly undesirable effects on oceans and their dependent human systems in the coming centuries. Such dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system is a possibility the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) calls on nations to avoid. Unacceptable consequences of such interference could include inundation of coastal areas and low-lying islands by rising sea level, the rate of which could exceed natural and human ability to adapt, and ocean acidification contributing to widespread disruption of marine and human food systems. Such consequences pose daunting socioeconomic costs, for developing nations in particular. Drawing on existing literature, we define example levels of acceptable global marine change in terms of global mean temperature rise, sea level rise and ocean acidification. A global-mean climate model (ACC2), is implemented in an optimizing environment, GAMS, and coupled to an economic model (DICE). Using cost-effectiveness analysis and the tolerable windows approach (TWA) allows for the computation of both economically optimal carbon dioxide emissions pathways as well as a range in carbon dioxide emissions (the so-called ``emissions corridor'') which respect the predetermined ceilings and take into account the socio-economically acceptable pace of emissions reductions. The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) has issued several guardrails focused on marine changes, of which we find the rate and absolute rise in global mean temperature to be the most restrictive (0.2 degrees Celsius per decade, 2 degrees Celsius total). Respecting these guardrails will require large reductions in both carbon and non-carbon GHGs over the next century, regardless of equilibrium climate sensitivity. WBGU sea level rise and rate of rise guardrails (1 meter absolute, 5 cm per decade) are substantially less restrictive, and respecting them does not require deviation from a business-as-usual path in the next couple hundred of years, provided common assumptions of Antarctic ice mass balance sensitivity are correct. The ocean acidification guardrail (0.2 unit decline relative to the pre-industrial value) is less restrictive than those for temperature, but does require emissions reductions into the coming century.

This postgraduate thesis investigates legal aspects of human assisted reproduction‘s reimbursement from the Public Health Insurance Fund‘s Budget. Nowadays human assisted reproduction is not covered by the State Budget in Lithuania. That‘s why this thesis presents hypothetical model of reimbursement. The model is substantiated using historical anglysis of the probleme, worldwide practice in biomedicine and health care management. Legal aspects are analysed from the standpoint of intersection in different branches of sciences. The emphasis lays on imperfect legislation and controversies of reproductive health care, it‘s close connections with ethical problemes in human relationships, on human life and traditional family protection as priority in Lithuania‘s Fundamental Law. Legal propositions are linked with Evidence Based Medicine Gudelines (EBMG) and efficient assesment of State Budget resources as a basis of Public Health Insurance.

This dissertation consists of six essays in health economics.The first essay, “Economic evaluations in health care: Basic principles and special topics”, serves as an introduction to economic evaluations in health care, including estimations of costs, health effects, and the discount rate. Special topics of interest for the rest of the studies are also discussed, e.g. the role of modelling in cost-effectiveness analysis, and methods for dealing with incomplete observations in clinical trial data. The main theme of the second essay, “Consumption and production by age in Sweden: Basic facts and health economic implications”, is a fairly detailed compilation of consumption and production figures by age in Sweden. The purpose of this is to use the difference between consumption and production in each age group as a measure of the average costs of added years of life in the general population. In economic evaluations of health care interventions, only future costs for related ill­nesses have typically been included in the analysis. However, the health economist David Meltzer has argued that future costs for un­related illnesses and general consumption should also be in­cluded in eco­nomic evaluations. Otherwise, the analysis will not be consistent with expected utility maximiza­tion. The third essay is entitled “The possibility of predicting health care costs in the future from predicted changes in age structure and age specific mortality: The case of Sweden”. Changes in the age structure, especially the growing number of elderly people, have raised concerns about increasing costs for health and elderly care in the future. However, the number of elderly per se is not the main problem, since the growing number of elderly people is a result of better health and hence lower morta­lity. The main purpose of the study is to investigate if future health care costs can be predicted based on forecasts of future changes in age structure and mortality rates. It is shown here that at least in Sweden and in the U.S., there is a linear relationship between age-specific mortality and age-specific health care costs. When these relationships are applied retrospectively to old data, however, the predictions are underestimates of the actual costs. These results are in line with earlier studies, which show that the future age structure is not likely to have a great impact on the future health care costs. The fourth essay is called “Cost effectiveness of bisoprolol in the treatment of chronic congestive heart failure in Sweden: Analysis using data from the Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study II” (with Niklas Zethraeus and Bengt Jönsson). Treatment of heart failure with beta blockers was introduced in Sweden already in the 1970s, but it was not until the 1990s that large-scale clinical trials established the efficacy of beta blockers in reducing heart failure mortality. The study consists of an economic evaluation of the beta blocker bisoprolol added to standard treatment of chronic heart failure, compared with placebo added to the same standard treatment. The study raises a number of methodological issues. At the forefront are the inclusion of costs of added years of life, and the question of how to model health effects that extend beyond the clinical trial on which the economic evaluation is based. The results indi­cate that treatment with bisoprolol is cost-effective. A drawback of the analysis in the fourth study was that the expected survival after the end of follow-up was modelled deterministically. This makes it impossible to assess the uncertainty of the cost-effectiveness estimate in a realistic way. The fifth essay is entitled “Assessing uncertainty in cost-effectiveness analysis by combining resampling of clinical trial data with stochastic modelling: The economic evaluation of bisoprolol for heart failure revisited”. Here, the drawback with the fourth study that was mentioned above is addressed by using resamp­ling of the clinical trial data in combination with stochastic modelling of the expected survival after the end of follow-up in the clinical trial. The methodology is inspired by the bootstrap method, which is a simulation technique whereby various statistics, like the mean and variance, can be estimated through repeated resampling from the original sample. The difference from the traditional boot­strap method is that resampling of observations from the clinical trial data is combined with stochastic modelling of the expected remaining lifetime of the patients who were alive at the end of the clinical trial. Cost-effectiveness acceptability curves for treatment of heart failure with bisoprolol were obtained as a result of the analysis. The sixth essay, “Survival analysis techniques for estimating the costs attributable to head and neck cancer in Sweden”, concerns the estimation of average treatment cost attri­butable to a disease when the data contain censored, i.e. incomplete, observations. For various reasons, censored observations are common in medical and epidemiological studies. As a result, the length of the survival time or the size of the costs for those who are alive at the end of follow-up are not exactly known. This is of course problematic if we want to estimate the average survival time or the average cost for all patients, both survivors and non-survivors included. In this study, the Kaplan-Meier sample-average estimator is used for overcoming the problem with censored observations. It is a method that has been proposed specifically for handling censored cost data. / Diss. Stockholm: Handelshögsk., 2002

Diss. Stockholm: Handelshögsk., 2002.

This thesis is composed of two economic evaluations: one trial-based study and one model-based study. In a recent study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases in 2011, a team of OUCRU investigators found that immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART) was not associated with improved 9-month survival in HIV-associated TBM patients (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, .81 to–1.55; P = .50). An economic evaluation of this clinical trial was conducted to examine the cost-effectiveness of immediate ART (initiate ART within 1 week of study entry) versus deferred ART (initiate ART after 2 months of TB treatment) in HIV-associated TBM patients. Over 9 months, immediate ART was not different from deferred ART in terms of costs and QALYs gained. Late initiation of ART during TB and HIV treatment for HIV-positive TBM patients proved to be the most cost-effective strategy. Increasing resistance of Plasmodium falciparum malaria to artemisinin is posing a major threat to the global effort to eliminate malaria. Artesmisinin combination therapies (ACT) are currently known as the most efficacious first-line therapies to treat uncomplicated malaria. However, resistance to both artemisinin and partner drugs is developing and this could result in increasing morbidity, mortality, and economic costs. One strategy advocated for delaying the development of resistance to the ACTs is the wide-scale deployment of multiple first-line therapies. A previous modeling study examined that the use of multiple first-line therapies (MFT) reduced the long-term treatment failures compared with strategies in which a single first-line ACT was recommended. Motivated by observed results of the published modelling study in the Lancet, the cost-effectiveness of the MFT versus the single first-line therapies was assessed in settings of different transmission intensities, treatment coverages and fitness cost of resistance using a previously developed model of the dynamics of malaria and a literature –based cost estimate of changing antimalarial drug policy at national level. This study demonstrates that the MFT strategies outperform the single first-line strategies in terms of costs and benefits across the wide range of epidemiological and economic scenarios considered. The second analysis of the thesis is not only internationally relevant but also with a focus towards healthcare practice in Vietnam. These two studies add significant new cost-effectiveness evidence in Vietnam. This thesis presents the first trial-based economic evaluation in Vietnam considers patient-health outcome measures as the participants have cognitive limitations (tuberculous meningitis), dealing with missing data along with the potential ways to handle this common problem by the use of multiple imputation, and the issues of censored costs data. Having identified these issues would support the decision makers or stakeholders including the pharmaceutical industry to devise a new guideline on how to implement a well-design trial-based economic evaluation in Vietnam in the future. Another novelty of this thesis is the introduction of the detailed of costing of drug regimens change in which the economic evaluations considering the drug policy change often do not include. This cost could be substantial to the healthcare system for retraining the staff and publishing the new guidelines. This thesis will document the costs incurred by the Vietnamese government by changing the first-line treatment of malaria, from single first-line therapy (ACT) to multiple first-line therapies.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-07-22T12:05:16Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ricardoaugustopalettaguedes.pdf: 29477997 bytes, checksum: 211b12a02f343517656d1362450971d3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-07-22T15:41:53Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 ricardoaugustopalettaguedes.pdf: 29477997 bytes, checksum: 211b12a02f343517656d1362450971d3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-22T15:41:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ricardoaugustopalettaguedes.pdf: 29477997 bytes, checksum: 211b12a02f343517656d1362450971d3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-29 / O glaucoma é considerado pela Organização Mundial de Saúde como a principal causa de cegueira irreversível no Brasil e no mundo. A forma mais comum, o glaucoma primário de ângulo aberto, tem bases genéticas, portanto sua prevenção primária ainda é inviável do ponto de vista prático. As principais ações para evitar a progressão para cegueira estão voltadas para sua prevenção secundária (diagnóstico precoce e tratamento eficaz). O principal fator de risco para a progressão da doença é a hipertensão ocular. Nos pacientes glaucomatosos, a pressão intraocular se eleva por uma obstrução gradativa da via de escoamento do humor aquoso no olho, chamada trabeculado. O tratamento do glaucoma pode ser realizado através de colírios, laser ou cirurgia. O envelhecimento da população mundial requer uma alocação custo-efetiva de recursos no tratamento e no controle do glaucoma primário de ângulo aberto. Com a previsão do aumento da incidência e da prevalência do glaucoma no futuro, o impacto econômico aumentará significativamente. O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar a eficiência comparativa do tratamento do glaucoma primário de ângulo aberto no Brasil, através de uma avaliação de custo-utilidade de diferentes estratégias de tratamento. O estudo de custo-utilidade foi realizado através de modelagem de Markov. Os dados (custos, efetividades e probabilidades de transição) para a construção do modelo foram obtidos na literatura e através da análise de um banco de dados de pacientes portadores de glaucoma primário de ângulo aberto em tratamento e cadastrados pelo pesquisador. A perspectiva utilizada foi a do Sistema Único de Saúde financiador e o horizonte temporal foi o da expectativa de vida média da população brasileira. As alternativas de tratamento testadas nos modelos foram observação, tratamento clínico com colírios, tratamento com laser e tratamento com cirurgia. Construíram-se 3 modelos de Markov de acordo com o estágio evolutivo da doença: Modelo 1 para glaucoma inicial, Modelo 2 para glaucoma moderado e Modelo 3 para glaucoma avançado. As medidas de desfecho analisadas foram os custos (em reais), o ganho em qualidade de vida (utilidades) e a razão de custo-utilidade incremental. Encontrou-se que no Modelo 1, a razão de custo-utilidade incremental do tratamento inicial com laser e do tratamento inicial com colírios, em relação à observação, foi R$2.811,39/QALY (Quality-adjusted life year) e R$3.450,47/QALY, respectivamente. Ambas as estratégias foram custo-efetivas, proporcionando ganhos significativos de qualidade de vida (em torno de 2,5 QALYs para o tratamento a laser e 5,0 QALYs para o tratamento com colírios). No Modelo 2, tanto o laser quanto a cirurgia foram bastante custo-efetivos. O tratamento inicial com colírios apresentou custos elevados e quase ultrapassou o limiar de custoefetividade sugerido pela organização Mundial de Saúde. Para o Modelo 3, tanto o tratamento inicial com colírios quanto o com cirurgia foram custo-efetivos. Em todos os modelos, a idade de entrada teve um impacto grande nos resultados. Quanto mais jovem o paciente, mais custo-efetivos eram os tratamentos iniciais com laser e com cirurgia. Concluiu-se, portanto, que todas as estratégias de tratamento do glaucoma primário de ângulo aberto foram custo-efetivas e proporcionaram ganhos reais na qualidade de vida. Os resultados sugerem quais as estratégias mais custoefetivas de acordo com o estágio evolutivo do glaucoma primário de ângulo aberto. / Glaucoma is the main cause of irreversible blindness in the world and in Brazil. The most common type, primary open-angle glaucoma, has genetic basis, therefore primary prevention (avoiding occurrence of the disease) is difficult to perform. Main actions to prevent glaucoma blindness target secondary prevention (early diagnosis and effective treatment). The most important risk factor for glaucoma is ocular hypertension. In glaucomatous patients, intra-ocular pressure elevates as aqueous humor outflow pathways (trabecular meshwork) are progressively obstructed. Glaucoma treatment involves medications, laser or surgery. As world population grows and becomes older, both incidence and prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma tend to be higher in the future. Hence, there is an urgent need for a costeffective resource allocation in order to reducing its economic impact. The purpose of this study is to determine the most cost-effective strategy for the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma in Brazil. Participants were a hypothetical cohort of primary open-angle glaucoma patients, separated into early, moderate and advanced stages. We developed 3 Markov models (one for each glaucoma stage), from the perspective of the Brazilian Public Health System and a horizon of the average life expectancy of the Brazilian population. We tested different strategies for each model. Main outcome measures were incremental cost-utility ratio, medical direct costs and quality-adjusted life year. The results show that in early glaucoma, incremental cost-utility ratio of initial laser and initial medical treatment over observation only, were R$2.811,39/QALY (Quality-adjusted life year) and R$3.450,47/QALY, respectively. Both strategies were cost-effective. The two alternatives have provided significant gains in quality of life over no treatment. In moderate glaucoma, both laser and surgery were highly cost-effective. Initial medical therapy in this group led to higher costs and was marginally cost-effective. For advanced glaucoma patients, both surgery and medications were cost-effective. In all models, starting age had a great impact on results. Both laser and surgery were more cost-effective, the younger the patient. In conclusion, from early to advanced glaucoma, all tested treatment strategies were cost-effective and provided real gains in quality of life. We suggest different strategies for different glaucoma stages, according to a cost-effectiveness ratio ranking.

The purpose of this research is to conduct an evaluation of the return on investment value of Employee Assistance Programmes within the South African context. Assistance to employees originated from the 19th century. The term Employee Assistance Programmes was however formulated in the 1970’s in the United States. The Employee Assistance field has since seen a paradigm shift in its focus, significant growth in its market value (amount of corporate clients internationally investing in EAPs for their employees), the establishment of a regulatory and ethical body through EAPA and its formalization as an academic discipline. This study takes the concept of return on investment value of EAPs further than the ratio of benefit-to-cost. The utilization of different data sources, inclusive of quantitative and qualitative instruments creates an opportunity to explore areas of value perception of different role players in the field. It furthermore maps the subjective and objective experience of behaviour change resulting from personal problems and the journey of change as a result of focused interventions. The consistency of views across different datasources as well as between different industries strengthens the value add claims of EAPs as contributing to the financial bottom line of companies. This study advocates for the importance of programme evaluation as a central part of EAP contracting. It furthermore also highlights the importance of documentation of employee performance for evaluation purposes. It illustrates a journey that can be complicated by the failure to agree to evaluative terms at program inception as well as unstructured data-capturing within companies. Employee behaviour consists of both computable and incomputable elements. Generally the focus of a return on investment study would be the computable components of human behaviour. This investigation however highlights significant elements of risk relating to employee performance challenges that is not easy to include in a ROI but holds significant financial and reputational risks for corporate clients. The influence of individual performance challenges on teams and the challenges it holds for line managers is also highlighted through the qualitative journey of this study. Employee behaviour seems vulnerable to internal and external forces and as a result companies’ productivity can be affected by how individual employees respond to these forces. It could be accepted that interventions that is aimed at stabilising and improving employee behaviour, will inevitably impact work performance and as a result the financial bottom-line of the company. Employee Assistance Programmes often operates in an arena where other programmes aimed at impacting employee behaviour are also present. It is thus difficult to isolate it’s intervention as being one of the main behaviour changing facilitators of the company. This study acknowledges this challenge and changes focus to different data-sources reporting on employee behaviour before and after EAP intervention. The consistency of data across these different data-sources becomes one of the main reporting areas for this study. Eventually the challenges encountered in this study guides the advocacy in the recommendations for a thorough agreement of programme evaluation at inception, the areas that will be included in such evaluations, the availability of Human Resource data to ensure effective evaluation inclusive of ROI assessments, targeted assessments at service provider level with effective software support. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted