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Costs and benefits of HIV‐1 antibody testing of donated blood
Author(s) -
Gelles Gregory M.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of policy analysis and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.898
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1520-6688
pISSN - 0276-8739
DOI - 10.2307/3325304
Subject(s) - protocol (science) , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , medicine , cost–benefit analysis , blood donor , test (biology) , intensive care medicine , blood testing , blood test , immunology , risk analysis (engineering) , biology , pathology , alternative medicine , ecology , paleontology
Costs and benefits of the testing protocol for screening donated blood for the HIV‐1 virus are evaluated. Estimates are made of the number of HIV‐1 infections and cases of AIDS prevented in a year by blood testing, as well as the costs of providing this risk reduction. The risk reduction provided by alternative tests such as the HIV‐1 antigen test is also discussed. The value of the risk reduction provided by blood testing is generated utilizing willingness‐to‐pay value‐of‐life estimates. The findings indicate that the present testing protocol is cost beneficial and support the FDA decision not to recommend the HIV‐1 antigen test for use in donor testing. Policy decisions concerning present and future testing protocols are discussed, and implications for broadening our model to include indirect benefits of donor testing are evaluated.