 sought to provide a comprehensive overview of the different types of economic evaluations that can be utilized by infection preventionists with a particular focus on the use of the quality adjusted life year, and its associated challenges. The researchers also highlight existing economic evaluations published within infection prevention and control, research gaps and future directions.

The researchers say that to date, the majority of economic evaluations within infection prevention and control are considered partial economic evaluations. Acknowledging the challenges, which include variable utilities within infection prevention and control, a lack of randomized controlled trials, and difficulty in modeling infectious diseases in general, future economic evaluation studies should strive to be consistent with published guidelines for economic evaluations. This includes the use of quality adjusted life years. Further research is required to estimate utility scores of relevance within infection prevention and control.

Reference: Rennert-May E, et al. Economic evaluations and their use in infection prevention and control: a narrative review. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control. 2018;7:31.