Model transparency and validation: a report of the ISPOR-SMDM Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force-7

Area of Science:

• Health economics and outcomes research
• Medical decision making
• Health modeling

Background:

• Trust and confidence are paramount for the successful implementation of health care models.
• Two primary strategies, transparency and validation, are essential for building this trust.
• Existing methods require standardized guidelines for effective application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present recommendations for enhancing transparency and validation in health care models.
• To provide a framework for developing trustworthy and reproducible health models.
• To guide modelers in documenting and validating their work effectively.

Main Methods:

• Development of recommendations by a joint task force from the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and the Society for Medical Decision Making (SMDM).
• Iterative refinement of recommendations among authors and the wider task force.
• Inclusion of various validation types: face, verification (internal), cross, external, and predictive validity.

Main Results:

• Recommendations for nontechnical descriptions covering model type, applications, funding, structure, inputs/outputs, data sources, validation, and limitations.
• Guidelines for technical documentation to enable model evaluation and reproduction.
• Emphasis on external and predictive validity as the strongest forms of model validation.

Conclusions:

• Implementing these recommendations will enhance the transparency and validity of health care models.
• Standardized approaches to transparency and validation are crucial for building confidence in health decision-making tools.
• This work provides a foundational guide for improving the quality and reliability of health economic models.