Cost-effectiveness of early intervention services for psychosis and fidelity to national policy implementation guidance.

Aim: Early intervention services (EIS) for psychosis are being implemented, internationally. It is important to learn from established examples and define the components and intensity of services that provide good value for money. This study aims to assess the cost-effectiveness of EIS according to how closely they adhered to the recommendations of the English Department of Health 2001 Policy Implementation Guide (PIG).

Virtual Touch™ Quantification to Diagnose and Monitor Liver Fibrosis in Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C: A NICE Medical Technology Guidance.

Virtual Touch™ Quantification (VTq) is a software application used with Siemens Acuson ultrasound scanners to assess the stiffness of liver tissue. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Medical Technologies Advisory Committee (MTAC) selected VTq for evaluation and invited the company to submit clinical and economic evidence. King's Technology Evaluation Centre, an External Assessment Centre (EAC) commissioned by NICE, independently assessed the evidence submitted.

Economic and social factors that influence households not willing to undergo cataract surgery.

Purpose: Literature investigating barriers to cataract surgery is mostly done from the patient's point of view. However, many medical decisions are jointly taken by household members, especially in developing countries such as India. We investigated from the household head's (or representative's) perspective, households' view on those not willing to undergo cataract surgery along with the economic and social factors associated with it.

A memory clinic v. traditional community mental health team service: comparison of costs and quality.

Aims and method To compare the cost and quality of a memory-clinic-based service (MCS) with a traditional community mental health team (CMHT) service. Using a retrospective case-note review, we studied two groups, each with 33 participants. Consecutive referrals for diagnostic 'memory' assessments over 4 months were evaluated.

The geko™ electro-stimulation device for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis: a NICE medical technology guidance.

The geko™ device is a single-use, battery-powered, neuromuscular electrostimulation device that aims to reduce the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) selected the geko™ device for evaluation, and invited the manufacturer, Firstkind Ltd, to submit clinical and economic evidence. King's Technology Evaluation Centre, an External Assessment Centre (EAC) commissioned by the NICE, independently assessed the evidence submitted.

E-vita open plus for treating complex aneurysms and dissections of the thoracic aorta: a NICE medical technology guidance.

The E-vita open plus is a one-stage endoluminal stent graft system used for treating complex aneurysms and dissections of the thoracic aorta. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), as a part of its Medical Technologies Evaluation Programme (MTEP), selected this device for evaluation and invited the manufacturer, JOTEC GmbH, to submit clinical and economic evidence. King's Technology Evaluation Centre (KiTEC), an External Assessment Centre (EAC) commissioned by the NICE, independently critiqued the manufacturer's submissions.

Household preferences for cataract surgery in rural India: a population-based stated preference survey.

Purpose: Cataract surgery is provided both by the private and public sector in India. Free cataract surgery (with minimal amenities) funded through subsidies/reimbursements by government and non-governmental organizations is provided for underprivileged and poor patients, especially in rural areas. However, no evidence exists whether this free surgery is used by those who could afford to pay and are willing to pay for cataract surgery.

Cost of improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme: an analysis of cost of session, treatment and recovery in selected Primary Care Trusts in the East of England region.

Recent literature on Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) has reported on improvements in clinical outcomes, changes in employment status and the concept of recovery attributable to IAPT treatment, but not on the costs of the programme. This article reports the costs associated with a single session, completed course of treatment and recovery for four treatment courses (i.e.

Comparative effectiveness of cognitive therapies delivered face-to-face or over the telephone: an observational study using propensity methods.

Objectives: To compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of face-to-face (FTF) with over-the-telephone (OTT) delivery of low intensity cognitive behavioural therapy.

Design: Observational study following SROBE guidelines. Selection effects were controlled using propensity scores.

Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery: A Review.

We aim at reviewing published peer-reviewed studies that evaluate the safety and efficacy of manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS). Literature searches of the PubMed and the Cochrane Library databases were conducted with no date restrictions; the searches were limited to articles published in English only. All publications with at least level II and III evidence were studied and surgical techniques were analyzed.

Visual experience during phacoemulsification-trabeculectomy under peribulbar anesthesia.

Background And Objective: To investigate the subjective visual experience of patients with concurrent cataract and glaucoma during phacoemulsification-trabeculectomy under peribulbar anesthesia.

Patients And Methods: Consecutive patients with concurrent cataract and glaucoma who underwent phacoemulsification-trabeculectomy under peribulbar anesthesia for the first time were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire between 30 minutes and 4 hours after the surgery. They were asked about their intraoperative visual experiences and their reaction to their visual experience.

Economic evaluation of cystic fibrosis screening: a review of the literature.

Objectives: To critically examine the economic evidence regarding cystic fibrosis (CF) carrier screening and to understand issues relating to the transferability of international findings to any national context for policy decisions.

Methods: A systematic literature search identified 14 studies (out of 29 economic studies on CF) focusing on preconception or prenatal screening between 1990 and 2006. These studies were then assessed against international benchmarks on conducting and reporting of economic evaluations, costing methodology used and focusing on the transferability of the evidence to national contexts.

Manual small incision cataract surgery in eyes with white cataracts.

Purpose: To assess the safety and efficacy of Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS) in cases of white cataract with the use of trypan blue as an adjunct for performing continuous curvilinear capsulorthexis (CCC).

Materials And Methods: Prospective observational study on 100 consecutive eyes of 100 patients with white cataract who had undergone MSICS with trypan blue assisted CCC. The nucleus was prolapsed into anterior chamber by using a sinskey hook and extracted out of the eye using irrigating vectis.

Visual experience during phacoemulsification under topical versus retrobulbar anesthesia: results of a prospective, randomized, controlled trial.

Purpose: To compare the subjective visual experience of cataract patients during phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation under topical anesthesia (TA) vs retrobulbar anesthesia (RA).

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial.

Methods: Three hundred six cataract patients eligible for phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation were randomized to receive either TA or RA during surgery by one of three surgeons.