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Gonsalves GS, Copple JT, Paltiel AD, Fenichel EP, Bayham J, Abraham M, Kline D, Malloy S, Rayo MF, Zhang N, Faulkner D, Morey DA, Wu F, Thornhill T, Iloglu S, Warren JL. Maximizing the Efficiency of Active Case Finding for SARS-CoV-2 Using Bandit Algorithms. Med Decis Making 2021; 41:970-977. [PMID: 34120510 PMCID: PMC8484027 DOI: 10.1177/0272989x211021603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Even as vaccination for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) expands in the United States, cases will linger among unvaccinated individuals for at least the next year, allowing the spread of the coronavirus to continue in communities across the country. Detecting these infections, particularly asymptomatic ones, is critical to stemming further transmission of the virus in the months ahead. This will require active surveillance efforts in which these undetected cases are proactively sought out rather than waiting for individuals to present to testing sites for diagnosis. However, finding these pockets of asymptomatic cases (i.e., hotspots) is akin to searching for needles in a haystack as choosing where and when to test within communities is hampered by a lack of epidemiological information to guide decision makers' allocation of these resources. Making sequential decisions with partial information is a classic problem in decision science, the explore v. exploit dilemma. Using methods-bandit algorithms-similar to those used to search for other kinds of lost or hidden objects, from downed aircraft or underground oil deposits, we can address the explore v. exploit tradeoff facing active surveillance efforts and optimize the deployment of mobile testing resources to maximize the yield of new SARS-CoV-2 diagnoses. These bandit algorithms can be implemented easily as a guide to active case finding for SARS-CoV-2. A simple Thompson sampling algorithm and an extension of it to integrate spatial correlation in the data are now embedded in a fully functional prototype of a web app to allow policymakers to use either of these algorithms to target SARS-CoV-2 testing. In this instance, potential testing locations were identified by using mobility data from UberMedia to target high-frequency venues in Columbus, Ohio, as part of a planned feasibility study of the algorithms in the field. However, it is easily adaptable to other jurisdictions, requiring only a set of candidate test locations with point-to-point distances between all locations, whether or not mobility data are integrated into decision making in choosing places to test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregg S. Gonsalves
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
- Public Health Modeling Unit, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - J. Tyler Copple
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
- Public Health Modeling Unit, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - A. David Paltiel
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
- Public Health Modeling Unit, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | | | - Jude Bayham
- Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | | | - David Kline
- Center for Biostatistics, Department of Biomedical Informatics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Sam Malloy
- Battelle Center for Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Michael F. Rayo
- Integrated Systems Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Net Zhang
- Battelle Center for Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Daria Faulkner
- College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Dane A. Morey
- Integrated Systems Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Frank Wu
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
- Public Health Modeling Unit, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Thomas Thornhill
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
- Public Health Modeling Unit, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Suzan Iloglu
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
- Public Health Modeling Unit, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Joshua L. Warren
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
- Public Health Modeling Unit, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
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Courtemanche Y, Poulin C, Serhir B, Alary M. HIV and hepatitis C virus infections in Quebec's provincial detention centres: comparing prevalence and related risky behaviours between 2003 and 2014-2015. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2018; 109:353-361. [PMID: 29981093 DOI: 10.17269/s41997-018-0047-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 12/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To compare the prevalence of HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, and related risky behaviours among inmates in Quebec's provincial prisons between 2003 and 2014-2015. METHODS Cross-sectional data were anonymously collected from May 2014 to March 2015 for men (n = 1315) and women (n = 250) and combined with data collected in 2003 to evaluate trends in the last decade. Participants completed a questionnaire and provided saliva samples. The data from the 2003 and 2014-2015 surveys were merged for statistical analysis. RESULTS HIV prevalence was stable between 2003 and 2014-2015 for men (2.4% vs. 1.8%, p = 0.4), whereas it decreased for women (8.8% vs. 0.8%, p < 0.001). HCV prevalence decreased between 2003 and 2014-2015 for both men (16.6% vs. 11.9%, p < 0.001) and women (29.2% vs. 19.2%, p = 0.02). HIV and HCV prevalence were higher among people who inject drugs (PWID), for both sexes and both studies. PWID-specific prevalence did not change between 2003 and 2014-2015, except for a decrease in HIV prevalence in PWID women. However, the proportion of prisoners reporting a history of injection drug use outside prison was lower in 2014-2015 than in 2003 for men (19.8% vs. 27.7%, p < 0.0001) and women (28.6% vs. 42.6%, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION The lower proportion of PWID inmates in 2014-2015 compared to 2003 explained in large part the decrease in HIV and HCV prevalence. Despite the decrease in prevalence, HIV and HCV infections among incarcerated individuals still represent a major public health problem due to the sizable increase of individuals in Quebec's correctional system over the same period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohann Courtemanche
- Axe santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Céline Poulin
- Axe santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Bouchra Serhir
- Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec, Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Sainte-Anne de Bellevue, Canada
| | - Michel Alary
- Axe santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, Canada. .,Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Université Laval, Québec, Canada. .,Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Québec, Canada. .,Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Hôpital du Saint-Sacrement, 1050 Chemin Ste-Foy, Québec, QC, G1S 4L8, Canada.
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Using Peer-Referral Chains with Incentives to Promote HIV Testing and Identify Undiagnosed HIV Infections Among Crack Users in San Salvador. AIDS Behav 2016; 20:1236-43. [PMID: 26687093 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-015-1267-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
In El Salvador, crack users are at high risk for HIV but they are not targeted by efforts to promote early HIV diagnosis. We evaluated the promise of peer-referral chains with incentives to increase HIV testing and identify undiagnosed HIV infections among networks of crack users in San Salvador. For 14 months, we offered HIV testing in communities with a high prevalence of crack use. For the following 14 months, we promoted chains in which crack users from these communities referred their peers to HIV testing and received a small monetary incentive. We recorded the monthly numbers of HIV testers, and their crack use, sexual risk behaviors and test results. After launching the referral chains, the monthly numbers of HIV testers increased significantly (Z = 6.90, p < .001) and decayed more slowly (Z = 5.93, p < .001), and the total number of crack-using testers increased nearly fourfold. Testers in the peer-referral period reported fewer HIV risk behaviors, but a similar percentage (~5 %) tested HIV positive in both periods. More women than men received an HIV-positive diagnosis throughout the study (χ(2)(1, N = 799) = 4.23, p = .040). Peer-referral chains with incentives can potentially increase HIV testing among networks of crack users while retaining a focus on high-risk individuals.
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The impact of criminalization of HIV non-disclosure on the healthcare engagement of women living with HIV in Canada: a comprehensive review of the evidence. J Int AIDS Soc 2015; 18:20572. [PMID: 26701080 PMCID: PMC4689876 DOI: 10.7448/ias.18.1.20572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Revised: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 11/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction In 2012, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that people living with HIV (PLWH) must disclose their HIV status to sexual partners prior to sexual activity that poses a “realistic possibility” of HIV transmission for consent to sex to be valid. The Supreme Court deemed that the duty to disclose could be averted if a person living with HIV both uses a condom and has a low plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load during vaginal sex. This is one of the strictest legal standards criminalizing HIV non-disclosure worldwide and has resulted in a high rate of prosecutions of PLWH in Canada. Public health advocates argue that the overly broad use of the criminal law against PLWH undermines efforts to engage individuals in healthcare and complicates gendered barriers to linkage and retention in care experienced by women living with HIV (WLWH). Methods We conducted a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed evidence published between 1998 and 2015 evaluating the impact of the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure on healthcare engagement of WLWH in Canada across key stages of the cascade of HIV care, specifically: HIV testing and diagnosis, linkage and retention in care, and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Where available, evidence pertaining specifically to women was examined. Where these data were lacking, evidence relating to all PLWH in Canada or other international jurisdictions were included. Results and discussion Evidence suggests that criminalization of HIV non-disclosure may create barriers to engagement and retention within the cascade of HIV care for PLWH in Canada, discouraging access to HIV testing for some people due to fears of legal implications following a positive diagnosis, and compromising linkage and retention in healthcare through concerns of exposure of confidential medical information. There is a lack of published empirical evidence focused specifically on women, which is a concern given the growing population of WLWH in Canada, among whom marginalized and vulnerable women are overrepresented. Conclusions The threat of HIV non-disclosure prosecution combined with a heightened perception of surveillance may alter the environment within which women engage with healthcare services. Fully exploring the extent to which HIV criminalization represents a barrier to the healthcare engagement of WLWH is a public health priority.
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Van Beckhoven D, Florence E, Ruelle J, Deblonde J, Verhofstede C, Callens S, Vancutsem E, Lacor P, Demeester R, Goffard JC, Sasse A. Good continuum of HIV care in Belgium despite weaknesses in retention and linkage to care among migrants. BMC Infect Dis 2015; 15:496. [PMID: 26530500 PMCID: PMC4631021 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-015-1230-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The Belgian HIV epidemic is largely concentrated among men who have sex with men and Sub-Saharan Africans. We studied the continuum of HIV care of those diagnosed with HIV living in Belgium and its associated factors. Methods Data on new HIV diagnoses 2007–2010 and HIV-infected patients in care in 2010–2011 were analysed. Proportions were estimated for each sequential stage of the continuum of HIV care and factors associated with attrition at each stage were studied. Results Of all HIV diagnosed patients living in Belgium in 2011, an estimated 98.2 % were linked to HIV care, 90.8 % were retained in care, 83.3 % received antiretroviral therapy and 69.5 % had an undetectable viral load (<50 copies/ml). After adjustment for sex, age at diagnosis, nationality and mode of transmission, we found lower entry into care in non-Belgians and after preoperative HIV diagnoses; lower retention in non-Belgians and injecting drug users; higher retention in men who have sex with men and among those on ART. Younger patients had lower antiretroviral therapy uptake and less viral suppression; those with longer time from diagnosis had higher ART uptake and more viral suppression; Sub-Saharan Africans on ART had slightly less viral suppression. Conclusions The continuum of HIV care in Belgium presents low attrition rates over all stages. The undiagnosed HIV-infected population, although not precisely estimated, but probably close to 20 % based on available survey and surveillance results, could be the weakest stage of the continuum of HIV care. Its identification is a priority along with improving the HIV care continuum of migrants. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-015-1230-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Van Beckhoven
- Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases Unit, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Rue J. Wytsman 14, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - E Florence
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Instituut Tropische Geneeskunde, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - J Ruelle
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research (IREC), Unit of Medical Microbiology (MBLG), Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - J Deblonde
- Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases Unit, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Rue J. Wytsman 14, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - C Verhofstede
- AIDS Reference Laboratory, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - S Callens
- Department of Internal Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - E Vancutsem
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - P Lacor
- Department of Internal Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - R Demeester
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, CHU de Charleroi, Charleroi, Belgium.
| | - J-C Goffard
- Service of Internal Medicine, Hôpital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - A Sasse
- Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases Unit, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Rue J. Wytsman 14, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
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Caro-Vega Y, del Rio C, Dias Lima V, Lopez-Cervantes M, Crabtree-Ramirez B, Bautista-Arredondo S, Colchero MA, Sierra-Madero J. Estimating the Impact of Earlier ART Initiation and Increased Testing Coverage on HIV Transmission among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Mexico using a Mathematical Model. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0136534. [PMID: 26302044 PMCID: PMC4547810 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To estimate the impact of late ART initiation on HIV transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Mexico. METHODS An HIV transmission model was built to estimate the number of infections transmitted by HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM-HIV+) MSM-HIV+ in the short and long term. Sexual risk behavior data were estimated from a nationwide study of MSM. CD4+ counts at ART initiation from a representative national cohort were used to estimate time since infection. Number of MSM-HIV+ on treatment and suppressed were estimated from surveillance and government reports. Status quo scenario (SQ), and scenarios of early ART initiation and increased HIV testing were modeled. RESULTS We estimated 14239 new HIV infections per year from MSM-HIV+ in Mexico. In SQ, MSM take an average 7.4 years since infection to initiate treatment with a median CD4+ count of 148 cells/mm3(25th-75th percentiles 52-266). In SQ, 68% of MSM-HIV+ are not aware of their HIV status and transmit 78% of new infections. Increasing the CD4+ count at ART initiation to 350 cells/mm3 shortened the time since infection to 2.8 years. Increasing HIV testing to cover 80% of undiagnosed MSM resulted in a reduction of 70% in new infections in 20 years. Initiating ART at 500 cells/mm3 and increasing HIV testing the reduction would be of 75% in 20 years. CONCLUSION A substantial number of new HIV infections in Mexico are transmitted by undiagnosed and untreated MSM-HIV+. An aggressive increase in HIV testing coverage and initiating ART at a CD4 count of 500 cells/mm3 in this population would significantly benefit individuals and decrease the number of new HIV infections in Mexico.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanink Caro-Vega
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubiran, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Carlos del Rio
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health & Emory Center for AIDS Research, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Viviane Dias Lima
- Division of AIDS, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Brenda Crabtree-Ramirez
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubiran, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Sergio Bautista-Arredondo
- Division of Health Economics and Health Systems Innovations, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - M. Arantxa Colchero
- Division of Health Economics and Health Systems Innovations, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Juan Sierra-Madero
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubiran, Mexico City, Mexico
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Newman-Toker DE. A unified conceptual model for diagnostic errors: underdiagnosis, overdiagnosis, and misdiagnosis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 1:43-48. [PMID: 28367397 DOI: 10.1515/dx-2013-0027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Progress in diagnostic error research has been hampered by a lack of unified terminology and definitions. This article proposes a novel framework for considering diagnostic errors, offering a unified conceptual model for underdiagnosis, overdiagnosis, and misdiagnosis. The model clarifies the critical separation between 'diagnostic process failures' (incorrect workups) and 'diagnosis label failures' (incorrect diagnoses). By dividing processes into those that are substandard, suboptimal, or optimal, important distinctions are drawn between 'preventable', 'reducible,' and 'unavoidable' diagnostic errors. The new model emphasizes the importance of mitigating diagnosis-related harms, regardless of whether the solutions require traditional safety strategies (preventable errors), more effective evidence dissemination (reducible errors; harms from overtesting and overdiagnosis), or new scientific discovery (currently unavoidable errors). Doing so maximizes our ability to prioritize solving various diagnosis-related problems from a societal value perspective. This model should serve as a foundation for developing consensus terminology and operationalized definitions for relevant diagnostic-error categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Newman-Toker
- 1Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins Hospital Meyer Building 8-154 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
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