Economic analysis of HIV prevention and treatment portfolios

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a significant problem worldwide as well as in the United States (US), despite ongoing efforts to limit HIV transmission. In the US, men who have sex with men (MSM) account for over half of new HIV infections every year, and thus are an important group to consider for HIV interventions. Both prevention and treatment options are available to combat HIV transmission, but decision makers must prioritize among the available disease control strategies. Mathematical modeling frameworks can be used to assess the value and efficiency of various disease control measures and help inform resource allocation decisions. This dissertation describes research on economic analysis of HIV prevention and treatment portfolios, primarily for MSM in the US. We develop two independent mathematical modeling frameworks, both intended to assist decision makers with minimizing HIV transmission in the most cost-effective manner. First, in Chapter 2, we present a dynamic compartmental model of the HIV epidemic that we built and instantiated for MSM in the US. This model can be used to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of prevention and treatment programs for MSM. In particular, in Chapter 3 we examine testing for and treating acute HIV infection, and in Chapter 4 we examine preexposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention. We find that symptom-based testing for acute HIV infection is cost-effective for MSM in the US, but incorporating testing for acute infection into the standard HIV screening protocol is not. For preexposure prophylaxis, we find that it is not cost-effective for the general MSM population, but it provides good value in high-risk MSM. In Chapter 5, we present a resource allocation framework for determining the optimal mix of HIV treatment and prevention programs, given a fixed budget. We develop methods of linearly estimating health benefits and costs that account for epidemic effects of reducing disease transmission. We illustrate our model with the examples of preexposure prophylaxis and community-based education compared with antiretroviral therapy for MSM in the US. We show both analytically and with the examples that HIV budgets are often best spent on the program that offers the greatest "bang for the buck.".

Description

Type of resource text
Form electronic; electronic resource; remote
Extent 1 online resource.
Publication date 2012
Issuance monographic
Language English

Creators/Contributors

Associated with Juusola, Jessie Lue
Associated with Stanford University, Department of Management Science and Engineering
Primary advisor Brandeau, Margaret L
Thesis advisor Brandeau, Margaret L
Thesis advisor Bendavid, Eran
Thesis advisor Owens, Douglas K
Advisor Bendavid, Eran
Advisor Owens, Douglas K

Subjects

Genre Theses

Bibliographic information

Statement of responsibility Jessie Lue Juusola.
Note Submitted to the Department of Management Science and Engineering.
Thesis Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2012.
Location electronic resource

Access conditions

Copyright
© 2012 by Jessie Lue Juusola
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).

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