Variations in out-of-pocket spending and factors influencing catastrophic health expenditure of households with patients suffering from chronic conditions in four districts in Sri Lanka.

Introduction: Healthcare financing systems, dependent on out-of-pocket expenditure(OOPE), impose a heavy burden on those who use the services regularly, such as patients suffering from chronic diseases. High OOPE for health services leads to decreased utilization of the services and/or catastrophic health expenditure, which would significantly impede the achievement of Universal Health coverage.

Objective: We aimed to determine variations in OOPE and factors associated with Catastrophic Health Expenditure (CHE) of households with patients suffering from non-communicable diseases(NCDs) in four districts.

Population Norms and Disutility Catalog for Chronic Conditions in Sri Lanka.

Objectives: This study aimed to produce Sri Lankan population norms of utility values, EuroQol visual analog scale scores, and reported problems in each domain of the EQ-5D-5L, as well as a disutility catalog, based on a representative set of Sri Lankan preferences.

Methods: Data from a nationally representative sample of 6415 adults from the Sri Lanka Health and Ageing Study in 2018 to 2019 were used. Sri Lankan preferences were applied to EQ-5D-5L scores to produce utility values.

Prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes in Sri Lanka: a new global hotspot-estimates from the Sri Lanka Health and Ageing Survey 2018/2019.

Introduction: This study's objective was to produce robust, comparable estimates of the prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes in the Sri Lankan adult population, where previous studies suggest the highest prevalence in South Asia.

Research Design And Methods: We used data on 6661 adults from the nationally representative 2018/2019 first wave of the Sri Lanka Health and Ageing Study (SLHAS). We classified glycemic status based on previous diabetes diagnosis, and either fasting plasma glucose (FPG), or FPG and 2-hour plasma glucose (2-h PG).

Prevalence and Associations of Hypertension in Sri Lankan Adults: Estimates from the SLHAS 2018-19 Survey Using JNC7 and ACC/AHA 2017 Guidelines.

Background: Sri Lanka lacks robust estimates of hypertension (HTN) prevalence owing to few national studies, hindering optimization of control strategies. Evidence on how the revised 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) HTN definition affects prevalence in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is also limited.

Objectives: To make robust estimates of HTN prevalence in the Sri Lankan adult population, and to assess impact of the ACC/AHA 2017 definitions.

Cost-effectiveness of interventions to control cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus in South Asia: a systematic review.

Objectives: More than 80% of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) burden now lies in low and middle-income countries. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify and implement the most cost-effective interventions, particularly in the resource-constraint South Asian settings. Thus, we aimed to systematically review the cost-effectiveness of individual-level, group-level and population-level interventions to control CVD and DM in South Asia.

COST-UTILITY ANALYSIS OF PRIVATE CONTRACTING TO REDUCE PUBLIC WAITING TIMES FOR JOINT REPLACEMENT SURGERY.

Objectives: Earlier treatment of publicly funded patients may achieve health gains that justify the additional costs of reducing waiting times. This study reports on the cost-effectiveness of implementing a private contracting model to meet alternative maximum waiting time targets for publicly funded patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery in Australia.

Methods: A linked decision tree and cohort Markov model was developed and populated and validated using secondary data sources to represent the pathways, costs, and quality adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained of non-urgent patients with alternative waiting times for total knee replacement surgery to a maximum age of 100 years.

Salt intake, blood pressure, and socioeconomic disparities among government employees in Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional study.

Our study estimated salt intake, examined the association between blood pressure (BP) and salt intake, and explored the socioeconomic variations in salt intake among administrators (government employees). This is a cross-sectional study. We studied 168 randomly selected administrators aged 30-60 years attached to government offices in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Perceived Job Stress and Presence of Hypertension Among Administrative Officers in Sri Lanka.

A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 275 and 760 randomly selected senior officers (SOs) and managerial assistants (MAs) aged between 30 and 60 years. Sum of scores of efforts, rewards, and overcommitment and effort-reward ratio assessed job stress. Blood pressure was measured and classified using JNC-7 guidelines.

Cost-effectiveness of interventions to control cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus in South Asia: protocol for a systematic review.

Introduction: While a number of strategies are being implemented to control cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the cost-effectiveness of these in the South Asian context has not been systematically evaluated. We aim to systematically review the economic (cost-effectiveness) evidence available on the individual-, group- and population-level interventions for control of CVD and T2DM in South Asia.

Methods And Analysis: This review will consider all relevant economic evaluations, either conducted alongside randomised controlled trials or based on decision modelling estimates.