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Standardizing methodologies for economic evaluation in health care. Practice, problems, and potential
1University of York.
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care
|January 1, 1993
Summary
Standardizing health care economic evaluation methods can improve study quality and comparisons. However, this may hinder methodological innovation, requiring careful consideration of benefits and drawbacks.
Area of Science:
- Health economics
- Health services research
- Decision sciences
Background:
- Growing body of literature on health care economic evaluations.
- Increasing influence of economic studies on healthcare decision-making.
- Need for consistent methods to ensure quality and comparability.
Purpose of the Study:
- Review arguments for and against standardizing economic evaluation methods.
- Assess existing attempts at standardization.
- Identify areas of consensus and divergence in methods.
- Provide recommendations for future work.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of economic evaluation standards.
- Analysis of arguments for and against standardization.
- Assessment of current standardization efforts.
- Synthesis of agreement and disagreement on methods.
Main Results:
- Standardization offers benefits like improved quality and comparability.
- Concerns exist regarding potential stifling of methodological innovation.
- Areas of agreement and disagreement on methods have been identified.
- Previous standardization attempts have had mixed success.
Conclusions:
- Balancing standardization with methodological flexibility is crucial.
- Further work is needed to refine standards for economic evaluations.
- Careful implementation can enhance the utility of economic evaluations in healthcare.
- Recommendations focus on maintaining scientific rigor while fostering innovation.