Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37561571›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2023

A Web-Based Sexual Health Intervention to Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections in Hong Kong: Model-Based Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

Wen Zhang, Carlos K H Wong, Yiqiao Xin, Daniel Y T Fong, Janet Y H Wong

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03695679 (Evaluation of an Interactive Web-based Sexual Health Literacy Program to Safe Sex Practice for Female University Students), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 31% 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.

NCT03695679 nacompletednot on this map

Evaluation of an Interactive Web-based Sexual Health Literacy Program to Safe Sex Practice for Female University Students: A Multicentred Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorThe University of Hong KongRan2017 to 2019Enrolled781ConditionsSafe SexArmsInteractive computer-based intervention
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Wen ZhangSchool of Nursing and Health Studies, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong).ORCID 0000-0002-8166-2879
Carlos K H WongDepartment of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong).ORCID 0000-0002-6895-6071
Yiqiao XinHealth Economics and Health Technology Assessment, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-5856-3103
Daniel Y T FongSchool of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong).ORCID 0000-0001-7365-9146
Janet Y H WongSchool of Nursing and Health Studies, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong).ORCID 0000-0002-3000-4577
Chinese University of Hong Kong · HKUniversity of Glasgow · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a significant public health concern, particularly among young adults, and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections are the most common STIs in young women. One of the most effective ways to prevent STIs is the consistent use of condoms during sexual intercourse. There has been no economic evaluation of the interactive web-based sexual health program, Smart Girlfriend, within the Chinese population.

objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of Smart Girlfriend in preventing STIs in the Chinese population. The evaluation compared the program with a control intervention that used a 1-page information sheet on condom use.

methodsA decision-analytic model that included a decision tree followed by a Markov structure of CT infections was developed since CT is the most prevalent STI among young women. The model represents the long-term experience of individuals who received either the intervention or the control. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. The main outcomes were the number of CT infections and the incremental cost as per quality-adjusted life year (QALY).

resultsA cohort of 10,000 sexually active nonpregnant young women initially entered the model in a noninfectious state (ie, "well"). In the base-case analysis, the implementation of the Smart Girlfriend program resulted in the prevention of 0.45% of CT infections, 0.3% of pelvic inflammatory disease, and 0.04% of chronic pelvic pain, leading to a gain of 70 discounted QALYs and cost savings over a 4-year time horizon, compared to the control group. With more than 4548 users, the intervention would be cost-effective, and with more than 8315 users, the intervention would be cost saving. A 99% probability of being cost-effective was detected with a willingness to pay US $17,409 per QALY.

conclusionsSmart Girlfriend is a cost-effective and possibly cost-saving program over a 4-year time horizon. This result was particularly sensitive to the number of website users; launching the website would be cost-effective if more than 4548 people used it. Further work is warranted to explore if the findings could be expanded to apply to women who have sex with women and in the context of other STIs.

trial registrationClinicalTrial.gov NCT03695679; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03695679.

Indexed as

Sexual HealthSexually Transmitted DiseasesCost-Benefit AnalysisCost-Effectiveness AnalysisFemaleHong KongHumansInternetYoung Adultcost-effectivenessdigital interventioneconomic evaluationsexual healthsexually transmitted infectionSTIweb-based interventionyoung adult

Identifiers

PMID37561571
PMCPMC10450529
OpenAlexW4382359762

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.