This topic is designed to cover key issues and examples relevant to economic evaluations of health technologies and the role of economic evidence to inform public funding decisions. Health technologies can include pharmaceuticals, diagnostic tests, medical procedures and devices, and lifestyle interventions. First, the topic will introduce key concepts in economic evaluation (e.g. opportunity cost) and the role of economic evidence in the decision-making process. Then the key elements of economic evaluation, including costs and health outcomes (e.g. quality-adjusted life-years: QALYs) will be discussed. From developing an understanding of key elements, the topic will cover how to design economic evaluation, how to present and interpret the findings of economic evaluation, and how to use economic evidence to inform public funding decisions. The topic will also introduce students to modelling approaches for economic evaluation to estimate long-term costs and outcomes of health care interventions. This topic will include
The topic will be split into five modules. Each module will include a set of interactive lectures (with multiple choice and short answer questions), and a number of problem-solving group exercises using real world examples.
Module 1: Key concepts in economic evaluation and building blocks of economic evidence
Module 2: Health outcomes and costs in economic evaluation
Module 3: Designing an economic evaluation alongside clinical trials and observational studies
Module 4: Introduction to model-based economic evaluations and uncertainty analysis
Module 5: Interpretation and use of economic evidence to inform policy decisions (including critical analysis of published economic evidence)