Cost-effectiveness analysis of introducing RDTs for malaria diagnosis as compared to microscopy and presumptive diagnosis in central and peripheral public health facilities in Ghana

Evelyn K Ansah; Michael Epokor; Christopher J M Whitty; Shunmay Yeung; Kristian Schultz Hansen

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.13-0033

Cost-effectiveness analysis of introducing RDTs for malaria diagnosis as compared to microscopy and presumptive diagnosis in central and peripheral public health facilities in Ghana

Evelyn K Ansah, Michael Epokor, Christopher J M Whitty, Shunmay Yeung, Kristian Schultz Hansen

Section of Health Services Research

33 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Cost-effectiveness information on where malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) should be introduced is limited. We developed incremental cost-effectiveness analyses with data from rural health facilities in Ghana with and without microscopy. In the latter, where diagnosis had been presumptive, the introduction of RDTs increased the proportion of patients who were correctly treated in relation to treatment with antimalarials, from 42% to 65% at an incremental societal cost of Ghana cedis (GHS)12.2 (US$8.3) per additional correctly treated patients. In the "microscopy setting" there was no advantage to replacing microscopy by RDT as the cost and proportion of correctly treated patients were similar. Results were sensitive to a decrease in the cost of RDTs, which cost GHS1.72 (US$1.17) per test at the time of the study and to improvements in adherence to negative tests that was just above 50% for both RDTs and microscopy.

Original language	English
Journal	American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume	89
Issue number	4
Pages (from-to)	724-36
Number of pages	13
ISSN	0002-9637
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.13-0033
Publication status	Published - Oct 2013

Keywords

Antimalarials
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Ghana
Health Care Costs
Humans
Malaria
Public Health
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Cost-effectiveness analysis of introducing RDTs for malaria diagnosis as compared to microscopy and presumptive diagnosis in central and peripheral public health facilities in Ghana. / Ansah, Evelyn K; Epokor, Michael; Whitty, Christopher J M et al.

In: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Vol. 89, No. 4, 10.2013, p. 724-36.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Cost-effectiveness analysis of introducing RDTs for malaria diagnosis as compared to microscopy and presumptive diagnosis in central and peripheral public health facilities in Ghana

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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