Use of evidence in economic decision models: practical issues and methodological challenges

Area of Science:

• Health economics
• Operations research
• Decision science

Background:

• Current practices for evidence utilization in decision modeling face practical and methodological challenges.
• Effective evidence identification, synthesis, and reporting are crucial for informing model parameters and structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a multi-disciplinary perspective on the appropriate use of evidence in economic decision models.
• To identify practical issues and methodological challenges in evidence synthesis for decision modeling.
• To propose recommendations for good modeling practice.

Main Methods:

• Discussions and consensus-building among 37 experts from diverse disciplines.
• Workshops funded by the MRC HSRC.
• Synthesis of expert opinions on evidence use in decision modeling.

Main Results:

• Identified key practical and methodological challenges in evidence use for decision models.
• Derived a multi-disciplinary standpoint on evidence synthesis.
• Highlighted gaps in current methodologies for evidence integration.

Conclusions:

• Expert consensus emphasizes the need for improved methods in evidence synthesis for decision modeling.
• Further research is needed to address identified gaps in methodology.
• Recommendations for good modeling practice were discussed.