Methods and Results for Systematic Search, Cost, and Cost-Effectiveness, Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition: Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health

Authors: Susan Horton, Daphne Wu, Elizabeth Brouwer, Carol Levin

Introduction:

This working paper describes in more detail the methods employed for the systematic search undertaken for cost and cost-effectiveness data, summarized in Horton (2015).  It also provides supplementary more detailed tables.

The economic analysis was based on literature searches undertaken for the project. A preliminary search on reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health was conducted on Pubmed, NHS-EED (National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database), Embase, DARE (Database of Rreviews of Effects), EconLit, HEED (Health Economics Evaluation Database), and PEDE (Pediatric Economic Database)  in June 2013 and limited to journal articles published in English between January 1st, 2000 and August 31st, 2013.   This search was primarily intended to provide cost data for another publication (Levin and Brouwer, 2015).  The focus was restricted to low- and middle-income countries. The search was subsequently updated to add selected additional topics in July 2014.  Three specific new vaccines were added, to include those vaccines of recent particular policy interest (rotavirus, pneumococcus and HiB), to ensure that no articles where there were cost-effectiveness data but without detailed costs, had been missed in the hand-screening stage, and to bring the search up to date. The search terms are given in Table 1.