Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31487281›Full record

ReviewPLoS neglected tropical diseases2019

The costs of monitoring trachoma elimination: Impact, surveillance, and trachomatous trichiasis (TT)-only surveys.

Rachel D Stelmach, Rebecca M Flueckiger, John Shutt, Margaret Davide-Smith, Anthony W Solomon, Lisa Rotondo, Aryc W Mosher, Margaret Baker, Rebecca Willis, Jeremiah Ngondi

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 21% 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

12 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Accelerating Progress Towards the 2030 Neglected Tropical Diseases Targets: How Can Quantitative Modeling Support Programmatic Decisions?Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2024
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Trachoma.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2022
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Observational
  9. Can we eradicate trachoma? A survey of stakeholders.The British journal of ophthalmology · 2021
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. 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

10 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Rachel D StelmachGlobal Health Division, International Development Group, RTI International, Washington, District of Colombia, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-4903-4995
Rebecca M FlueckigerGlobal Health Division, International Development Group, RTI International, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
John ShuttGlobal Health Division, International Development Group, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America.
Margaret Davide-SmithGlobal Health Division, International Development Group, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States of America.
Anthony W SolomonClinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
Lisa RotondoGlobal Health Division, International Development Group, RTI International, Washington, District of Colombia, United States of America.
Aryc W MosherBureau for Global Health, United States Agency for International Development, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America.
Margaret BakerGlobal Health Division, International Development Group, RTI International, Washington, District of Colombia, United States of America.
Rebecca WillisTask Force for Global Health, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.
Jeremiah NgondiGlobal Health Division, International Development Group, RTI International, Cambridge, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0003-4357-4816
RTI International · USLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GBThe Task Force for Global Health · USUnited States Agency for International Development · US

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough trachoma causes more cases of preventable blindness than any other infectious disease, a combination of strategies is reducing its global prevalence. As a district moves toward eliminating trachoma as a public health problem, national programs conduct trachoma impact surveys (TIS) to assess whether to stop preventative interventions and trachoma surveillance surveys (TSS) to determine whether the prevalence of active trachoma has rebounded after interventions have halted. In some contexts, programs also conduct trachomatous trichiasis (TT)-only surveys. A few costing studies of trachoma prevalence surveys exist, but none examine TIS, TSS, or TT-only surveys. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL

findingsWe assessed the incremental financial cost to the national program of TIS, TSS, and TT-only surveys, which are standardized cluster-sampled prevalence surveys. We conducted a retrospective review of expenditures and grant disbursements for TIS and TSS in 322 evaluation units in 11 countries between 2011 and 2018. We also assessed the costs of three pilot and five standard TT-only surveys in four countries between 2017 and 2018. The median cost of TIS and TSS was $8,298 per evaluation unit [interquartile range (IQR): $6,532-$10,111, 2017 USD]. Based on a linear regression with bootstrapped confidence intervals, after controlling for country, costs per survey did not change significantly over time but did decline by $83 per survey implemented in a single round (95% CI: -$108 --$63). Of total costs, 80% went to survey fieldwork; of that, 58% went towards per diems and 38% towards travel. TT-only surveys cost a median of $9,707 (IQR: $8,537-$11,635); within a given country, they cost slightly more (106% [IQR: 94%-136%]) than TIS and TSS. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The World Health Organization requires trachoma prevalence estimates for validating the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem. This study will help programs improve their planning as they assemble resources for that effort.

Indexed as

Disease EradicationEpidemiological MonitoringHumansPrevalencePublic HealthTrachomaTrichiasis

Identifiers

PMID31487281
PMCPMC6728015
OpenAlexW2971522967

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC0
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.