Background: Partners from an NGO, academia, industry and government applied a tool originating in the private sector - Quantitative Decision Making (QDM) - to rigorously assess whether to invest in testing a global health intervention. The proposed NEWBORN study was designed to assess whether topical emollient therapy with sunflower seed oil in infants with very low birthweight <1500 g in Kenya would result in a significant reduction in neonatal mortality compared to standard of care.
Methods: The QDM process consisted of prior elicitation, modelling of prior distributions, and simulations to assess Probability of Success (PoS) via assurance calculations. Expert opinion was elicited on the probability that emollient therapy with sunflower seed oil will have any measurable benefit on neonatal mortality based on available evidence. The distribution of effect sizes was modelled and trial data simulated using Statistical Analysis System to obtain the overall assurance which represents the PoS for the planned study. A decision-making framework was then applied to characterise the ability of the study to meet pre-selected decision-making endpoints.
Results: There was a 47% chance of a positive outcome (defined as a significant relative reduction in mortality of ≥15%), a 45% chance of a negative outcome (defined as a significant relative reduction in mortality <10%), and an 8% chance of ending in the consider zone (ie, a mortality reduction of 10 to <15%) for infants <1500 g.
Conclusions: QDM is a novel tool from industry which has utility for prioritisation of investments in global health, complementing existing tools [eg, Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative]. Results from application of QDM to the NEWBORN study suggests that it has a high probability of producing clear results. Findings encourage future formation of public-private partnerships for health.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.7189/jogh.12.04045 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
January 2025
Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Background: Previous literature has highlighted the complexity of supporting an acutely unwell child and the unnecessary use of services by parents/carers. The Little Orange Book (LOB) was developed as an information resource for parents/carers of young children to assist in managing symptoms of childhood illness and to encourage the appropriate use of healthcare services.
Objectives: This study aimed to understand parent/carer views and experiences using the Little Orange Book.
PLoS One
January 2025
Faculty of Education, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada.
Several international studies have investigated academic decision-making in higher education, but there is limited research on students' choice to study pharmacy in the Canadian context. While there is some variation across jurisdictions, decisions to enroll in a particular degree program fall into several decision-making domains (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Immunol
January 2025
Adaptive Biotechnologies, Seattle, WA, United States.
Introduction: T cells are involved in the early identification and clearance of viral infections and also support the development of antibodies by B cells. This central role for T cells makes them a desirable target for assessing the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Methods: Here, we combined two high-throughput immune profiling methods to create a quantitative picture of the T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2.
Front Neurosci
January 2025
Kontigo Care AB, Uppsala, Sweden.
Background: It is known that illicit and prescribed drugs impact pupil size, eye movement and function. Still, comprehensive quantitative evaluations under known ambient light conditions are lacking, when smartphones are used for monitoring.
Methods: In this clinical study (NCT05731999), four medicinal products with addiction risks were administered to 48 subjects (18-70 years old, all with informed consent, 12 subjects per drug).
Digit Health
January 2025
Physiotherapy Programme & Center for Healthy Ageing & Wellness, Faculty of Health Sciences (H-CARE), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Background: The increasing prevalence and burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), the challenges in implementing pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programs and the limited availability of alternatives and supportive programs to serve patients with COPD necessitate the development of pulmonary telerehabilitation (PTR) systems to provide patients with COPD with PR programs.
Objective: This study aimed to design and develop the ChestCare mobile Health app using user-centred design (UCD) approach. Thus, it provided PTR for patients with COPD, enhancing their self-management of symptoms and improving their compliance with PR programs.
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