Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28288182›Full record

ArticlePloS one2017

Modelling optimal allocation of resources in the context of an incurable disease.

Betty Nannyonga, David J T Sumpter

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 44% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Betty NannyongaDepartment of Mathematics, School of Physical Sciences College of Natural Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
David J T SumpterDepartment of Mathematics, Center for Interdisciplinary Mathematics Mathematics Institution, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Makerere University · UGUppsala University · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Nodding syndrome has affected and led to the deaths of children between the ages of 5 and 15 in Northern Uganda since 2009. There is no reliable explanation of the disease, and currently the only treatment is through a nutritional programme of vitamins, combined with medication to prevent symptoms. In the absence of a proper medical treatment, we develop a dynamic compartmental model to plan the management of the syndrome and to curb its effects. We use incidence data from 2012 and 2013 from Pader, Lamwo and Kitgum regions of Uganda to parameterize the model. The model is then used to look at how to best plan the nutritional programme in terms of first getting children on to the programme through outreach, and then making sure they remain on the programme, through follow-up. For the current outbreak of nodding disease, we estimate that about half of available resources should be put into outreach. We show how to optimize the balance between outreach and follow-up in this particular example, and provide a general methodology for allocating resources in similar situations. Given the uncertainty of parameter estimates in such situations, we perform a robustness analysis to identify the best investment strategy. Our analysis offers a way of using available data to determine the best investment strategy of controlling nodding syndrome.

Indexed as

Health Care RationingModels, EconomicAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolDisease OutbreaksHumansNodding SyndromeUganda

Identifiers

PMID28288182
PMCPMC5347997
OpenAlexW2595575168

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.