ArticlePloS one2012
Cost effectiveness of screening strategies for early identification of HIV and HCV infection in injection drug users.
Article in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence and epidemiological distribution of substance use among people living with HIV in the East African region: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Simulation Models to Track and Address the Opioid Crisis.Epidemiologic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Cost-Effectiveness of HBV and HCV Screening Strategies--A Systematic Review of Existing Modelling Techniques.PloS one · 2015Pooled it
- Trial
- A Systematic Comparison of African American and Non-African American Patients on Psychosocial Aspects of Hepatitis C Infection.Journal of religion and health · 2018Trial
- Cost-effectiveness of rapid hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing and simultaneous rapid HCV and HIV testing in substance abuse treatment programs.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2015Trial
- Potential Impact of Frequent Testing for Hepatitis C Virus Among People Who Inject Drugs Toward Hepatitis C Elimination in the United States.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2026Article
- Cost-Effectiveness of HIV Prevention Strategies: A Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations.HIV/AIDS (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Review
- Financing Benefits and Barriers to Routine HIV Screening in Clinical Settings in the United States: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Country versus pharmaceutical company interests for hepatitis C treatment.Health care management science · 2022Article
- Cost-effectiveness of implementing HIV and HIV/syphilis dual testing among key populations in Viet Nam: a modelling analysis.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Cost-effectiveness of Frequent HIV Screening Among High-risk Young Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2021Article
- Predicting the Effectiveness of Endemic Infectious Disease Control Interventions: The Impact of Mass Action versus Network Model Structure.Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making · 2021Article
- Economic evaluation of HIV testing options for low-prevalence high-income countries: a systematic review.Health economics review · 2021Article
- How simulation modeling can support the public health response to the opioid crisis in North America: Setting priorities and assessing value.The International journal on drug policy · 2021Article
- Health outcomes and cost-effectiveness of diversion programs for low-level drug offenders: A model-based analysis.PLoS medicine · 2020Article
- Evidence-Based Framework and Implementation of China's Strategy in Combating COVID-19.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2020Article
- Elimination of hepatitis C virus in Germany: modelling the cost-effectiveness of HCV screening strategies.BMC infectious diseases · 2019Article
- Cost-effectiveness of scaling-up HCV prevention and treatment in the United States for people who inject drugs.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2019Article
- Evidence for optimal HIV screening and testing intervals in HIV-negative individuals from various risk groups: A systematic review.Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo estimate the cost, effectiveness, and cost effectiveness of HIV and HCV screening of injection drug users (IDUs) in opioid replacement therapy (ORT).
designDynamic compartmental model of HIV and HCV in a population of IDUs and non-IDUs for a representative U.S. urban center with 2.5 million adults (age 15-59).
methodsWe considered strategies of screening individuals in ORT for HIV, HCV, or both infections by antibody or antibody and viral RNA testing. We evaluated one-time and repeat screening at intervals from annually to once every 3 months. We calculated the number of HIV and HCV infections, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs).
resultsAdding HIV and HCV viral RNA testing to antibody testing averts 14.8-30.3 HIV and 3.7-7.7 HCV infections in a screened population of 26,100 IDUs entering ORT over 20 years, depending on screening frequency. Screening for HIV antibodies every 6 months costs $30,700/QALY gained. Screening for HIV antibodies and viral RNA every 6 months has an ICER of $65,900/QALY gained. Strategies including HCV testing have ICERs exceeding $100,000/QALY gained unless awareness of HCV-infection status results in a substantial reduction in needle-sharing behavior. DISCUSSION: Although annual screening for antibodies to HIV and HCV is modestly cost effective compared to no screening, more frequent screening for HIV provides additional benefit at less cost. Screening individuals in ORT every 3-6 months for HIV infection using both antibody and viral RNA technologies and initiating ART for acute HIV infection appears cost effective.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.