Publications by authors named "L Balzer"

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality is increasing in Africa, largely due to undiagnosed and untreated hypertension. Approaches that leverage existing primary health systems could improve hypertension treatment and reduce CVD, but cost-effectiveness is unknown. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of population-level hypertension screening and implementation of chronic care clinics across eastern, southern, central, and western Africa.

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This literature review offers a comprehensive overview of the use of evaluation criteria across five policy fields: social services, land-use planning, teaching in higher education, vocational education, and the environment. Though it is a key part of the evaluation process, the question of how criteria are defined, chosen, and applied generates surprisingly little debate among the evaluation community. In evaluation practice, criteria are often taken for granted - and occasionally even used in ways that are neither explicit nor transparent.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study aimed to enhance HIV prevention by providing participants in Uganda and Kenya with options for daily pills or long-acting injectable medication, allowing them to switch methods based on personal preference.
  • The research involved 1,534 individuals at risk for HIV who previously participated in trials, with 984 agreeing to continue in the extension phase of the study.
  • Results showed that the intervention group experienced a higher mean coverage of biomedical prevention (69.7%) compared to those receiving standard care, suggesting a potential benefit in offering treatment choices.
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The Causal Roadmap outlines a systematic approach to asking and answering questions of cause and effect: define the quantity of interest, evaluate needed assumptions, conduct statistical estimation, and carefully interpret results. To protect research integrity, it is essential that the algorithm for statistical estimation and inference be prespecified prior to conducting any effectiveness analyses. However, it is often unclear which algorithm will perform optimally for the real-data application.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore effective HIV prevention strategies in rural East African communities by understanding clients' experiences with a patient-centered dynamic choice prevention model (DCP).
  • Through interviews with 56 participants and 21 healthcare providers, key themes emerged regarding the emotional benefits and challenges faced in adopting prevention methods like PrEP and PEP.
  • Factors such as stigma, power dynamics in relationships, and limited knowledge about prevention options impacted individuals' ability to engage with prevention services.
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