Developing the Global Health Cost Consortium Unit Cost Study Repository for HIV and TB: methodology and lessons...

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Health Economics
• Public Health Data Management

Background:

• Accurate global health cost data is crucial for efficiency analyses, budgeting, and sustainability planning.
• Standardized cost data for HIV and TB interventions is often lacking, hindering research and planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a centralized, standardized repository of HIV and TB intervention cost data.
• To create a user-friendly web interface for accessing and analyzing this cost data.

Main Methods:

• Defined intervention typologies for HIV and TB.
• Aligned data with the GHCC Reference Case principles and categories.
• Conducted systematic literature reviews and extensive data extraction.
• Developed a quality assurance framework and a study quality rating system.
• Designed a flexible, user-friendly web interface for data visualization.

Main Results:

• Established the Unit Cost Study Repository (UCSR) with standardized HIV and TB intervention cost data.
• Identified key lessons for data extraction, including standardizing definitions and quality monitoring.
• Developed a web interface enabling flexible data display by intervention type, country, and population.

Conclusions:

• The UCSR provides a valuable resource for global health cost analysis.
• Standardization of definitions, data quality monitoring, and user-centered design are critical for repository success.