Barriers and opportunities for evidence-based health service planning: the example of developing a Decision Analytic Model to plan services for sexually transmitted infections in the UK

Decision Analytic Models (DAMs) are established means of evidence-synthesis to differentiate between health interventions. They have mainly been used to inform clinical decisions and health technology assessment at the national level, yet could also inform local health service planning. For this, a DAM must take into account the needs of the local population, but also the needs of those planning its services. Drawing on our experiences from stakeholder consultations, where we presented the potential utility of a DAM for planning local health services for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK, and the evidence it could use to inform decisions regarding different combinations of service provision, in terms of their costs, cost-effectiveness, and public health outcomes, we discuss the barriers perceived by stakeholders to the use of DAMs to inform service planning for local populations, including (1) a tension between individual and population perspectives; (2) reductionism; and (3) a lack of transparency regarding models, their assumptions, and the motivations of those generating models

Are primary care-based sexually transmitted infection services in the UK delivering public health benefit?

Sexual health services in primary care, known in the UK as local enhanced services in sexual health (LESSH), aim to increase access to sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening and treatment. Little is known about the characteristics, quality or public health impact of these services. We identified national standards for service provision, and evaluated LESSH against them using a structure, process and outcome approach. Clinical structure and process standards were generally well met, with the exception of partner notification provision. However, public health and outcome measures were largely unascertainable and often undefined in the standards. If the primary care STI services are to deliver public health benefit, improved outcome measures and data collection are required

Case study: the use of FiRECAM<TM> to identify cost-effective fire

The computer fire risk-cost assessment model that is being developed at the National Research Council of Canada, FiRECAM, was used to identify cost-effective fire safety design options for a 40-storey office building specified by the conference organizers. FiRECAM (Fire Risk Evaluation and Cost Assessment Model) is a computer model that evaluates both the expected risk to life to the occupants and the fire costs in a building