Short-term Costs Research Articles

Cost of the COVID-19 pandemic versus the cost-effectiveness of mitigation strategies in EU/UK/OECD: a systematic review

ObjectivesThe economic burden of COVID-19 pandemic is substantial, with both direct and indirect costs playing a significant role.DesignA systematic literature review was conducted to estimate the cost of the COVID-19...

Hybrid wavelet/Elman NN model for short term cost prediction utilizing developed deer hunting optimizer

The cost signal of electricity in the competitive electrical energy marketplaces is of special importance for all planning and operation activities. Also, the price of electricity has an uncertain nature and various factors affect it in the short and long term. Factors active in the electricity market need to accurately and effectively forecast the electricity price signal to manage risk in the market. For estimating future electricity prices, this research suggests a combined procedure on the basis of Elman neural network model and the wavelet transform. The proposed Elman neural network/wavelet transform forecasted the next hour's power price based on the past 24 h' pricing. This research uses an optimized Elman neural network using a developed deer hunting optimizer and the total model is named Elman neural network/developed deer hunting optimization-wavelet transform. In this paper, Data of Zone Preliminary Billing is used for establishing the training of model and forecasting of performance. The method is then compared with some other published works and the outcomes demonstrate the offered approach superiority toward those for the electrical cost predicting.

THE FACTORS THAT HAVE INFLUENCED THE ADOPTION OF MALAYSIAN PRIVATE ENTITIES REPORTING STANDARDS (MPERS) FOR SMEs IN MALAYSIA

<p>This study aims to explore the factors that have influenced the adoption of Malaysian Private Entities Reporting Standards (MPERS) in Malaysia since 2016, to explore the costs and benefits to Malaysian SMEs of adopting the MPERS, and also to explore challenges and expectations exploring the perception of 15 accounting professionals representing SMEs in Malaysia. Findings indicate that education and professional training are influential factors in the way participants perceive the MPERS but tensions between education and training did come to the fore in the interviews. Legal and tax factors are also influential. However, participants did not discuss the role of tax or legal factors relating to the implementation of the standard in any depth. Further, findings also indicate that cultural factors play a significant role equal to external economic factors, which heavily influenced the Malaysian standard setter to adopt MPERS. Participants suggested that the initial (short-term) costs for the adoption of the standard outweigh the benefits, but that over the long term, the benefits outweighed the costs of the adoption of the MPERS. The findings also suggest that adoption increased the reliability of financial information to users while adoption of the MPERS provides confidence to foreign investors by providing a comparable accounting framework with other countries, which was seen by participants as one of the most prominent macro effects. This thesis is the first to explore factors that drove the Malaysian authorities to adopt the MPERS and contribute to the existing body of accounting literature. We argue that this study’s findings might be used as a solid basis for other similar contexts in Southeast Asia with similar cultural characteristics to Malaysia.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>JEL</strong>: M10, M14, M20, M40, M41</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0011/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Healthcare costs among patients with newly diagnosed helicobacter pylori infection in the United States: a linked claims-EHR study

AimsThe study objectives were to 1) characterize the cost drivers of patients with Helicobacter pylori (HP) and 2) estimate HP-related cost savings following lab-confirmed HP eradication with US guideline-recommended treatment compared to failed eradication.MethodsWe identified adults newly diagnosed with HP between 1/1/2016–12/31/2019 in the Veradigm Electronic Health Record Database linked to claims data (earliest HP diagnosis = index date). For the overall costs analysis, we required patients to have data available for ≥12 months before and after the index date. Then, we used multivariable modeling to assess the marginal effects of comorbidities on all cause-healthcare costs in the 12 months following HP diagnosis. For the eradication savings analysis, we identified patients with ≥1 HP eradication regimen, a subsequent HP lab test result, and ≥1 year of data after the test result. Then we used multivariable modeling to estimate HP-related cost while adjusting for eradication status, demographics, post-testing HP-related clinical variables, and the interactions between eradication status and each HP-related clinical variable.ResultsThe overall cost analysis included 60,593 patients with HP (mean age 54.2 years, 65.5% female). Mean (SD) 12-month unadjusted all-cause costs were $23,693 ($78,089). Rare comorbidities demonstrated the highest marginal effect. The marginal effects of gastric cancer and PUD were $15,705 and $7,323, respectively. In the eradication savings analysis, 1,835 (80.0%) of the 2295 patients had lab test-confirmed HP eradication. Compared to failed eradication, there were significant one-year cost savings among patients with successful HP eradication and select conditions: $1,770 for PUD, $518 for atrophic gastritis, $494 for functional dyspepsia, and $352 for gastritis.ConclusionsThe healthcare costs of patients with HP are partially confounded by their burden of high-cost comorbidities. In the subset of patients with available results, confirmed vs. failed eradication of HP was associated with short-term cost offsets among those with specific to HP-related sequelae.

Comparison of senhance and da vinci robotic radical prostatectomy: short-term outcomes, learning curve, and cost analysis.

The Senhance® Robotic System is a new laparoscopy-based platform that has been increasingly used in radical prostatectomy (RP) procedures. The purpose of this study is to compare the outcome of Senhance RP (SRP) with da Vinci RP (DRP) cases. From August 2019 to April 2022, we prospectively recruited 63 cases of SRP. We compared the perioperative data, postoperative complication rates, short-term surgical outcomes (3-month postoperative undetectable prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and incontinence rates), learning curves, and cost analysis with data from 63 matched da Vinci Xi RP cases. There was no difference in BL (180 versus 180 ml, p = 0.86) and postoperative surgical complication rate (Clavient -Dindo grade I-IV, 25.3 versus 22.2%, p = 0.21) between the SRP cases and the DRP. Regarding the oncologic and continence function, there was no difference between positive margin rate (36.5% versus 41.3%, p = 0.58), rate of undetectable PSA level at postoperative 3 months (68.3 versus 66.7%, p = 0.85), and incontinence rate (14.3 versus 15.9%, p = 1.0) at postoperative 3 months between the two cohorts. The learning curve showed a quick downward slope for laparoscopic experienced surgeons. The median pocket cost for SRP patients in our hospital was $4170, which was lower than $7675 for the DRP patients. Safety and short-term outcomes are comparable between SRP and DRP. For experienced LRP surgeons, using the Senhance system to perform RP is straightforward. With a more affordable price as its biggest advantage, the Senhance system may serve as a safe and effective alternative for robotic RP.

A Propensity Score-Matching Analysis: Robotic Thymectomy Through the Subxiphoid Has Advantages Over Video-Assisted Thymectomy Surgery.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to evaluate the security and effectiveness of subxiphoid and subcostal robot-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy (S-RATT) and compare it with subxiphoid and subcostal video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy (S-VATT) in terms of short-term perioperative results and costs. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out on 62 individuals who had undergone successful complete thymectomy for anterior mediastinal disease using subxiphoid and subcostal arch approaches. Propensity score-matching analysis was utilized between the two groups, and the perioperative outcomes were compared. Results: The S-RATT group exhibited less intraoperative blood loss (20 ± 15.35 versus 69.55 ± 69.54, P < .001), lower levels of C-reactive protein (112.38 ± 68.08 versus 72.58 ± 42.62, P = .027), and lower postoperative pain scores (2.09 ± 1.54 versus 4.27 ± 1.28, P < .001). However, the hospitalization costs of patients in the S-VATT group were found to be lower than those in the S-RATT group (33,802.41 ± 8785.05 versus 49,977.53 ± 20,221.79, P < .001). Conclusions: S-RATT appears to be a viable and secure method for managing anterior mediastinal tumors.

The impact of supply chain disruptions on business expectations during the pandemic

Utilizing the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Business Inflation Expectations (BIE) survey, which has been continuously collecting subjective probability distributions over own-firm future unit costs since October 2011, we document two facts about firms’ marginal cost expectations and risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, in the early months of the pandemic, firms, on net, saw COVID-19 largely as a demand shock and lowered their one-year ahead expectations. However, as the pandemic wore on, firms’ one-year ahead unit cost expectations rose sharply alongside their views on supply chain and operating capacity disruptions. Second, the balance of unit cost risks shifted sharply over the course of the pandemic and by the end of 2022, upside risks had sharply outweighed perceived downside risks over the year ahead. We find that both positive demand shocks (e.g. large order backlogs) and negative supply shocks (e.g. long supplier delivery times and labor shortages) have contributed to elevated short-term unit cost expectations and risk. Specifically, supply shocks accounted for roughly 40% of the increase in manufacturers’ and nearly one-third of service-providers’ unit cost expectations.

Multi-period facility location and capacity expansion with modular capacities and convex short-term costs

In this paper, we consider a multi-period facility location problem with capacity expansion motivated by the real-world problem of establishing hydrogen production infrastructure in Norway. The problem is formulated using modular capacities that capture economies of scale in production costs. The costs of opening a facility are represented by concave long-term costs, while the production costs of each capacity level are given by convex short-term costs. In our model, we allow only one expansion during the planning horizon, and have to observe limits on minimum production quantities. The objective is to minimize the sum of investment, expansion, production, and distribution costs while satisfying customer demand. To solve the problem we implement a solution method based on Lagrangian relaxation. The lower bound is calculated using a dynamic programming approach. To obtain an upper bound solution, we develop a greedy heuristic that converts the solution to the Lagrangian dual into a feasible solution. The approach is tested on different problem instances based on real-world data. The results show that our solution method based on Lagrangian relaxation outperforms Gurobi in terms of run time for all tested instances. Our Lagrangian based approach also always finds good or even near-optimal solutions, whereas Gurobi fails to find feasible solutions for some of the larger instances.

Short-term outcomes and costs analysis of robotic-assisted versus laparoscopic cholecystectomy—a retrospective single-center analysis

PurposeRobotic-assisted surgery is an alternative technique for patients undergoing minimal invasive cholecystectomy (CHE). The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes and costs of laparoscopic versus robotic CHE, previously described as the major disadvantage of the robotic system, in a single Austrian tertiary center.MethodsA retrospective single-center analysis was carried out of all patients who underwent an elective minimally invasive cholecystectomy between January 2010 and August 2020 at our tertiary referral institution. Patients were divided into two groups: robotic-assisted CHE (RC) and laparoscopic CHE (LC) and compared according to demographic data, short-term postoperative outcomes and costs.ResultsIn the study period, 2088 elective minimal invasive cholecystectomies were performed. Of these, 220 patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. One hundred ten (50%) patients underwent LC, and 110 patients RC. There was no significant difference in the mean operation time between both groups (RC: 60.2 min vs LC: 62.0 min; p = 0.58). Postoperative length of stay was the same in both groups (RC: 2.65 days vs LC: 2.65 days, p = 1). Overall hospital costs were slightly higher in the robotic group with a total of €2088 for RC versus €1726 for LC.ConclusionsRobotic-assisted cholecystectomy is a safe and feasible alternative to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Since there are no significant clinical and cost differences between the two procedures, RC is a justified operation for training the whole operation team in handling the system as a first step procedure. Prospective randomized trials are necessary to confirm these conclusions.

Short-term costs in patients with chronic kidney disease treated with dapagliflozin: a retrospective cohort study

ABSTRACT Objectives This real-world study evaluated the impact of dapagliflozin on short-term medical costs in patients with stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods This retrospective, observational cohort study used medical and pharmacy claims data from IQVIA PharMetrics Plus. Patients aged ≥18 years with a filled dapagliflozin prescription after stage 3 CKD diagnosis between September 2020 and December 2021 were 1:1 propensity score matched with patients with stage 3 CKD who did not receive dapagliflozin. The primary endpoint was cardiorenal medical costs to payers over 6 months; all-cause medical and pharmacy costs were also analyzed. Within the overall population, there was a new-user subgroup of patients with no sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 use during baseline. Results The new-user subgroup included 503 matched patients per cohort. Mean per-patient cardiorenal medical costs were reduced by 49.0% in the dapagliflozin versus non-dapagliflozin cohort ($3172.15 vs $6219.50; P < 0.001). Mean all-cause medical costs were reduced ($8043.58 vs $12,194.87; P < 0.001) and mean all-cause pharmacy costs were increased ($9056.98 vs $7453.23; P = 0.22). Results were similar for the overall population. Conclusion This study showed dapagliflozin was associated with reduced cardiorenal medical costs over 6 months compared with no dapagliflozin treatment in patients with stage 3 CKD, demonstrating real-world medical cost savings.

COVID-19 pandemic: overview of the fiscal policy response and macroeconomic developments in the euro area and the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the European Union and the United States, with varying waves of severity and divergent progress in vaccination campaigns across regions. To address the short-term costs and potential long-term effects of the crisis, policymakers adopted support measures, particularly fiscal policies. This paper provides an overview of the fiscal support measures implemented, with a focus on the euro area and the United States. It also examines the impact of the pandemic and of support policies on the economies of both regions, as well as the ongoing economic recovery. By analysing the fiscal responses and the macroeconomic developments, this study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the diverse approaches taken by policymakers in combatting the COVID-19 crisis and mitigating its economic consequences.

The definition and monitorization of innovation procurement policies in the EU Countries

Public procurement emerges as a potentially powerful instrument for stimulating R&amp;D, with the goal of supplying leading markets for new technologies. The research paper intends to introduce a better understanding of responsibilities and definition activities and monitorization of innovation procurement policies (IPP) in European countries. By identifying key factors responsible for defining such policies alongside monitoring mechanisms used currently or proposed going forward, it provides useful recommendations based on past learnings aimed at enhancing overall effectiveness over time. The main result of this research suggests that policymakers should focus on developing more robust innovation procurement policies that prioritize long-term benefits rather than short-term cost savings.

Estimating the impact of balloon guide catheter with mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke: A U.S. cost analysis.

Balloon guide catheters (BGCs) can be used adjunctively during mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Evaluating the potential economic impact associated with adjunctive BGC use is an important consideration for resource allocation. Decision tree models were used to estimate the economic value of BGC use in MT through its impact on functional outcomes. Healthcare utilization cost estimates in the short- and long-term for patients with different 90-day mRS scores were analyzed for MT-only and MT + BGC scenarios. Deterministic (one-way) and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness and uncertainty of model parameters. Per-patient index hospitalization cost was estimated at $65,260 for MT-only and $62,883 for MT + BGC scenarios. Per-patient one-year post-index hospitalization cost was estimated at $27,569 for MT-only and $24,830 for MT + BGC. MT + BGC had a total cost savings of $5117 compared with MT-only. Deterministic (one-way) sensitivity analysis demonstrated that cost saving per patient was most sensitive to the proportion of patients in the mRS 0-2 category in both MT + BGC and MT-only. In a probabilistic sensitivity analysis, mean per-patient costs for the index hospitalization were estimated at $63,737 for MT-only and $61,425 for MT + BGC. Mean per-patient cost estimates one-year post-index hospitalization was $27,445 for MT-only and $24,715 for MT + BGC. MT + BGC had a total cost savings of $5043 compared with MT-only. Mechanical thrombectomy with adjunctive BGC use may reduce short-term and long-term patient costs due to improved functional outcomes when compared to MT treatment alone for AIS.

A Relative Cost of Control Analysis of IDegLira versus Other Forms of Basal Insulin Intensification in Mexico.

Achieving glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes is important as it reduces the risk of complications and their related clinical and economic burden. Yet therapeutic inertia due to the fear of hypoglycemia, complex treatment regimens, weight gain, and therapy costs, among others, limits achieving glycemic control. This analysis aims to assess the short-term cost of control (cost per patient achieving treatment goals) with insulin degludec/liraglutide (IDegLira) versus other forms of basal insulin intensification (insulin glargine titration, basal-bolus therapy, and the combination of insulin glargine and lixisenatide: IGlarLixi) in type 2 diabetes patients not controlled with basal insulin in the Mexican private setting. The proportion of patients achieving treatment goals was obtained from DUAL V and DUAL VII studies (full trial population) and a indirect treatment comparison analyzing IDegLira versus IGlarLixi. Annual cost of treatment was estimated using unitary costs from IQVIA's Pharmaceutical Market Mexico (PMM) audit and wholesale acquisition costs (both from December 2021). The cost of control was estimated by dividing the annual cost of treatment by the proportion of patients achieving the corresponding treatment goal: glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C)<7.0%, HbA1C<7.0% without weight gain, HbA1C<7.0% without hypoglycemia, and HbA1C<7.0% without hypoglycemia and weight gain. One-way sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess how variations in the model inputs impacted cost-effectiveness outcomes. The proportion of patients achieving treatment goals was higher for IDegLira versus other forms of basal insulin intensification in all endpoints assessed. The annual cost of treatment with IDegLira was similar to the cost of treatment versus IGlarLixi or versus basal-bolus therapy ($54,659 versus $55,831 MXN and $51,008 versus $52,987 MXN, respectively), and higher in comparison with insulin glargine titration ($52,186 versus $40,194 MXN). The cost of controlling one patient with IDegLira was lower than any other form of basal insulin intensification, for all treatment goals. When integrating the greater clinical efficacy of IDegLira with its annual cost, it can be shown that within 1year, IDegLira is the best option in terms of value for money for payers in a private healthcare setting in Mexico in comparison with other forms of basal insulin intensification. Thus, investing in IDegLira not only represents a greater clinical benefit, but also an economical one for payers.

Hybrid robust-stochastic energy scheduling of multi-carrier systems integrated with ice storage and heat storage systems: A multi-solver approach

This paper focuses on the short-term operation management of small-scale energy systems. The proposed model integrates the cooling, heating, and electrical sections to provide more flexibility, efficiency, and economic benefits for the system. To this end, an optimization framework is performed to minimize the total costs of different sectors considering the marginal costs of local resources, emission costs, incentive cost for demand response programs, and cost of purchasing energy from the main grid. We apply the stochastic, robust, and hybrid robust-stochastic approaches to consider the uncertainty of non-controllable energy resources, loads, and market prices to get more accurate results. In the proposed model, the probabilistic behaviors of photovoltaic and wind energy are considered by stochastic optimization. Also, the load and market prices are modeled by a robust approach to consider the worst condition in the operation and ensure robustness. To get the best operation scheduling, the proposed model is integrated with multiple solvers such as CPLEX, CBC, LINDO, MOSEK, GUROBI, and BDLMP. The proposed multi-solver model ensures that the solution found is optimal and robust. The proposed model is tested on a general case study and results show that demand response programs and electric vehicles can reduce short-term costs by $ 37.88. Also, the sensitivity analysis shows that the electrical demand response program and wind energy can reduce the operation costs of the system by 6.22 % and 19.17 %, respectively. Besides, the thermal demand response program can reduce the operation cost of the system by $ 12.52.

Burden of illness associated with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)-related hospitalizations among adults in Ontario, Canada: A retrospective population-based study

BackgroundGlobally, RSV is a common viral pathogen that causes 64 million acute respiratory infections annually. Our objective was to determine the incidence of hospitalization, healthcare resource use and associated costs of adults hospitalized with RSV in Ontario, Canada. MethodsTo describe the epidemiology of adults hospitalized with RSV, we used a validated algorithm applied to a population-based healthcare utilization administrative dataset in Ontario, Canada. We created a retrospective cohort of incident hospitalized adults with RSV between September 2010 and August 2017 and followed each person for up to two years. To determine the burden of illness associated with hospitalization and post-discharge healthcare encounters each RSV-admitted patient was matched to two unexposed controls based on demographics and risk factors. Patient demographics were described and mean attributable 6-month and 2-year healthcare costs (2019 Canadian dollars) were estimated. ResultsThere were 7,091 adults with RSV-associated hospitalizations between 2010 and 2019 with a mean age of 74.6 years; 60.4 % were female. RSV-coded hospitalization rates increased from 1.4 to 14.6 per 100,000 adults between 2010–2011 and 2018–2019. The mean difference in healthcare costs between RSV-admitted patients and matched controls was $28,260 (95 % CI: $27,728 - $28,793) in the first 6 months and $43,721 over 2 years (95 % CI: $40,383 – $47,059) post-hospitalization. ConclusionsRSV hospitalizations among adults increased in Ontario between 2010/11 to 2018/19 RSV seasons. RSV hospitalizations in adults were associated with increased attributable short-term and long-term healthcare costs compared to matched controls. Interventions that could prevent RSV in adults may reduce healthcare burden.

SMEs and open innovation: Challenges and costs of engagement

Traditional literature in terms of Open Innovation broadly explored the potential benefits firms might achieve in collaborating with external partners. However, in such a recognized framework, the investigation of the costs firms face remains an underexplored field. Understanding the immediate economic impact of Open Innovation strategies is crucial, especially for SMEs that usually suffer from a structural lack of financial resources. To fill this gap, the present study explores the costs sustained by SMEs in the short run while implementing Open Innovation's strategies. Moreover, in line with the new challenges introduced by new technologies, the study explores how Open Innovation costs vary for digital and non-digital SMEs. In doing so, the study relies on a sample of 377 digital and non-digital European SMEs. In general terms, results show that Open Innovation represents a short-term cost for both types of SMEs. However, in investigating the different Open Innovation challenges addressed by SMEs, findings reveal that especially digital SMEs may limit costs by reducing their external activities and keeping their activity focused on the core business. These findings have implications for both SMEs and scholars, which are expected to lead to further investigations.

A Bi-Level Optimization and Scheduling Strategy for Charging Stations Considering Battery Degradation

This paper proposes a bi-level optimization scheduling strategy for integrated photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage systems (ESS) to meet electric vehicle (EV) charging demands while reducing charging costs. First, a battery degradation cost model is developed in order to convert the long-term costs into short-term costs for real-time operation. The upper layer of ESS and power grid operation strategies are obtained by minimizing costs associated with battery degradation and distribution grid costs. The lower layer considers the PV uncertainty and the error caused by the upper layer operation strategy, and obtains the lower layer operation strategy by adding a penalty function to minimize fluctuations in power. Second, the author proposes a global optimization algorithm that combines Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) in order to solve the above-mentioned models, effectively combining the global search feature of PSO with the local search capability of SQP. Finally, the bi-level optimization scheduling strategy is obtained by solving the model through the algorithm. Simulation results verify the practicality of the scheduling strategy and the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Randomized single blind trial to compare the short term post-operative outcome and cost analysis of laparoscopic versus ultrasound guided transversus abdominis plane block in patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

Laparoscopic Bariatric surgery despite being minimally invasive can cause moderate to severe pain in the immediate postoperative period. Adequate pain management remains a major challenge. Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block is a regional anesthesia technique which blocks the sensory nerve supply of anterior-lateral abdominal wall. Primary: evaluate Laparoscopic versus ultrasound (USG)-guided TAP block on immediate post-operative analgesia after undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Secondary: compare cost effectiveness of Laparoscopic versus ultrasound-guided TAP block after undergoing bariatric surgery. Randomized Single blind study undertaken after sample size was calculated by (N) = 2(Zα + Z1-β)2σ2/δ2 which proposed 60 patients in each group. Block randomization was done after excluding redo/revision surgeries and patients were alloted Group I: Laparoscopic-guided TAP block & Group II: USG-guided TAP block. In both groups, Bilaterally, 20ml (0.25%) bupivacaine was injected immediately after completion of bariatric surgery. SPSS v23 (IBM Corp.) was used for analysis. Group I (N = 61 53F/8M) & Group II (N = 60 42F/18M) were demographically comparable. Group I (3.58 ± 0.67) had significantly lower procedure time compared to Group II (12.47 ± 1.61) (p-Value < 0.001). First rescue analgesia was administered at 7.07 ± 2.61h in Group I vs 7.21 ± 2.39h in Group II (p-Value 0.659). In first 24h rescue analgesic dose requirement in Group I was 1.29 ± 0.53 vs 1.39 ± 0.50 in Group II (p-Value 0.487). VAS scores during rest and movement till 24h post-operative were statistically similar. Procedural cost was more in group II. Laparoscopic-guided TAP block is a safe and cost-effective approach for postoperative pain management after bariatric surgery and provides similar comparable analgesic effect as the USG-TAP block. Laparoscopic TAP is a surgeon delivered, easy to administer and significantly less time-consuming procedure which is feasible even when an ultrasound machine is not available.

Individual preferences, government policy, and COVID-19: A game-theoretic epidemiological analysis

PurposeThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic imposes serious short-term and long-term health costs on populations. Restrictive government policy measures decrease the risks of infection, but produce similarly serious social, mental health, and economic problems. Citizens have varying preferences about the desirability of restrictive policies, and governments are thus forced to navigate this tension in making pandemic policy. This paper analyses the situation facing government using a game-theoretic epidemiological model. MethodologyWe classify individuals into health-centered individuals and freedom-centered individuals to capture the heterogeneous preferences of citizens. We first use the extended Susceptible-Exposed-Asymptomatic-Infectious-Recovered (SEAIR) model (adding individual preferences) and the signaling game model (adding government) to analyze the strategic situation against the backdrop of a realistic model of COVID-19 infection. FindingsWe find the following: 1. There exists two pooling equilibria. When health-centered and freedom-centered individuals send anti-epidemic signals, the government will adopt strict restrictive policies under budget surplus or balance. When health-centered and freedom-centered individuals send freedom signals, the government chooses not to implement restrictive policies. 2. When governments choose not to impose restrictions, the extinction of an epidemic depends on whether it has a high infection transmission rate; when the government chooses to implement non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs), whether an epidemic will disappear depends on how strict the government's restrictions are. Originality/valueBased on the existing literature, we add individual preferences and put the government into the game as a player. Our research extends the current form of combining epidemiology and game theory. By using both we get a more realistic understanding of the spread of the virus and combine that with a richer understanding of the strategic social dynamics enabled by game theoretic analysis. Our findings have important implications for public management and government decision-making in the context of COVID-19 and for potential future public health emergencies.