Estimating the potential health economic value of introducing universal opt-out testing for HIV in emergency departments in Italy
Italy faces challenges with late HIV diagnoses, which leads to worse health outcomes and higher healthcare costs. In Italy, the proportion of late diagnoses (i.e., a CD4 count <350 cells/mm3) has increased to 60% in 2020—10% higher than the European average (1). With an estimated 13,000–15,000 undiagnosed HIV cases in Italy, innovative testing strategies are urgently needed Read More >
When will the UK achieve HIV transmission elimination? Modelling the impact of current HIV prevention efforts on progress towards the 2030 elimination goal
In 2019, the previous UK government set the ambitious target of eliminating HIV transmission within the UK by 2030. While great progress has been made in HIV prevention and treatment in the UK, with England reaching the UNAIDS 95-95-95 target in 20231, past evidence suggested that the goal of ‘elimination’ by 2030 is unlikely to Read More >
Self-sampling for cervical cancer screening – what is it and what does evidence from Europe tell us about whether it provides any benefits compared to traditional ways of screening?
Regular screening is crucial for preventing cervical cancer or identifying cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to be successful. Screening is particularly important for women who did not receive the HPV vaccine; in the UK, that means most women over the age of 30. Many European countries, including the UK, have Read More >
Could universal opt-out HIV testing in Italian emergency departments be a cost-effective way of increasing HIV diagnosis rates in Italy?
In Italy, 60% of new HIV diagnoses are in people who already have advanced disease (i.e., a CD4 count <350 cells/mm3) (1). This highlights an urgent need for alternative screening strategies if Italy is to make progress towards achieving the UNAIDS target of diagnosing at least 95% of people living with HIV (2). Read More >
Exploring an alternative way to triage samples within cervical cancer screening
Our analysis comparing the costs of using DNA methylation testing for triage instead of liquid-based cytology (LBC) within the Netherlands cervical screening programme has now been published as an open access peer reviewed publication in the journal Diagnostics. Self-sample collection for human papillomavirus (HPV)-primary cervical screening has been adopted in some settings to complement traditional Read More >
Economic evaluation comparing two cervical screening strategies in Belgium: HPV primary versus co-testing
Our recent research comparing two hypothetical cervical screening algorithms in Belgium, has been accepted for publication in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention and is now available online as a preprint in medRxiv. In the study, we performed a cost-consequence analysis to evaluate the financial implications and potential benefits of two different screening protocols: 1) Read More >
Economic evaluation of different sampling strategies for cervical cancer screening
Our recently published paper comparing different cervical screening options in England provides early economic evidence that sample self-collection may be a cost-effective option for cervical cancer screening programmes. This work supports decision-making for cervical screening programmes. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide, yet most cases are preventable through early detection Read More >
Is it cost effective to screen women for syphilis twice during pregnancy?
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) asked Aquarius to assess the costs and benefits of two different approaches to antenatal screening for syphilis. We compared the current strategy – screening in the first trimester only – with an alternative strategy – screening in the first trimester and a repeat screen later in pregnancy. The Read More >
Improving patient care with rapid point of care tests
Dr Elisabeth Adams, Managing Director of Aquarius Population Health, presented on opportunities for rapid tests in influenza and HPV at international conferences in June. This has been a busy week for the Aquarius Population Health team. We had two posters at the Society for Medical Decision Making in London (12-15th June), which Elisabeth presented. The Read More >