Systematic reviews of health economic evaluations: a protocol for a systematic review of characteristics and methods applied
Abstract Background The number of systematic reviews of economic evaluations is steadily increasing. This is probably related to the continuing pressure on health budgets worldwide which makes an efficient resource allocation increasingly crucial. In particular in recent years, the introduction of s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2017-12-01
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| Series: | Systematic Reviews |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13643-017-0639-8 |
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| author | Miriam Luhnen Barbara Prediger Edmund A. M. Neugebauer Tim Mathes |
| author_facet | Miriam Luhnen Barbara Prediger Edmund A. M. Neugebauer Tim Mathes |
| author_sort | Miriam Luhnen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The number of systematic reviews of economic evaluations is steadily increasing. This is probably related to the continuing pressure on health budgets worldwide which makes an efficient resource allocation increasingly crucial. In particular in recent years, the introduction of several high-cost interventions presents enormous challenges regarding universal accessibility and sustainability of health care systems. An increasing number of health authorities, inter alia, feel the need for analyzing economic evidence. Economic evidence might effectively be generated by means of systematic reviews. Nevertheless, no standard methods seem to exist for their preparation so far. The objective of this study was to analyze the methods applied for systematic reviews of health economic evaluations (SR-HE) with a focus on the identification of common challenges. Methods/design The planned study is a systematic review of the characteristics and methods actually applied in SR-HE. We will combine validated search filters developed for the retrieval of economic evaluations and systematic reviews to identify relevant studies in MEDLINE (via Ovid, 2015-present). To be eligible for inclusion, studies have to conduct a systematic review of full economic evaluations. Articles focusing exclusively on methodological aspects and secondary publications of health technology assessment (HTA) reports will be excluded. Two reviewers will independently assess titles and abstracts and then full-texts of studies for eligibility. Methodological features will be extracted in a standardized, beforehand piloted data extraction form. Data will be summarized with descriptive statistical measures and systematically analyzed focusing on differences/similarities and methodological weaknesses. Discussion The systematic review will provide a detailed overview of characteristics of SR-HE and the applied methods. Differences and methodological shortcomings will be detected and their implications will be discussed. The findings of our study can improve the recommendations on the preparation of SR-HE. This can increase the acceptance and usefulness of systematic reviews in health economics for researchers and medical decision makers. Systematic review registration The review will not be registered with PROSPERO as it does not meet the eligibility criterion of dealing with clinical outcomes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:10:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5871f21269d24579a58bc793dbf59813 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2046-4053 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:10:34Z |
| publishDate | 2017-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Systematic Reviews |
| spelling | doaj.art-5871f21269d24579a58bc793dbf598132022-12-22T01:42:08ZengBMCSystematic Reviews2046-40532017-12-01611510.1186/s13643-017-0639-8Systematic reviews of health economic evaluations: a protocol for a systematic review of characteristics and methods appliedMiriam Luhnen0Barbara Prediger1Edmund A. M. Neugebauer2Tim Mathes3Department Health Care and Health Economics, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG)Institute for Research in Operative Medicine, Witten/Herdecke UniversityFaculty of Health, Brandenburg Medical School – Theodor FontaneInstitute for Research in Operative Medicine, Witten/Herdecke UniversityAbstract Background The number of systematic reviews of economic evaluations is steadily increasing. This is probably related to the continuing pressure on health budgets worldwide which makes an efficient resource allocation increasingly crucial. In particular in recent years, the introduction of several high-cost interventions presents enormous challenges regarding universal accessibility and sustainability of health care systems. An increasing number of health authorities, inter alia, feel the need for analyzing economic evidence. Economic evidence might effectively be generated by means of systematic reviews. Nevertheless, no standard methods seem to exist for their preparation so far. The objective of this study was to analyze the methods applied for systematic reviews of health economic evaluations (SR-HE) with a focus on the identification of common challenges. Methods/design The planned study is a systematic review of the characteristics and methods actually applied in SR-HE. We will combine validated search filters developed for the retrieval of economic evaluations and systematic reviews to identify relevant studies in MEDLINE (via Ovid, 2015-present). To be eligible for inclusion, studies have to conduct a systematic review of full economic evaluations. Articles focusing exclusively on methodological aspects and secondary publications of health technology assessment (HTA) reports will be excluded. Two reviewers will independently assess titles and abstracts and then full-texts of studies for eligibility. Methodological features will be extracted in a standardized, beforehand piloted data extraction form. Data will be summarized with descriptive statistical measures and systematically analyzed focusing on differences/similarities and methodological weaknesses. Discussion The systematic review will provide a detailed overview of characteristics of SR-HE and the applied methods. Differences and methodological shortcomings will be detected and their implications will be discussed. The findings of our study can improve the recommendations on the preparation of SR-HE. This can increase the acceptance and usefulness of systematic reviews in health economics for researchers and medical decision makers. Systematic review registration The review will not be registered with PROSPERO as it does not meet the eligibility criterion of dealing with clinical outcomes.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13643-017-0639-8Systematic reviewEconomic evaluationReimbursementMedical decision making |
| spellingShingle | Miriam Luhnen Barbara Prediger Edmund A. M. Neugebauer Tim Mathes Systematic reviews of health economic evaluations: a protocol for a systematic review of characteristics and methods applied Systematic Reviews Systematic review Economic evaluation Reimbursement Medical decision making |
| title | Systematic reviews of health economic evaluations: a protocol for a systematic review of characteristics and methods applied |
| title_full | Systematic reviews of health economic evaluations: a protocol for a systematic review of characteristics and methods applied |
| title_fullStr | Systematic reviews of health economic evaluations: a protocol for a systematic review of characteristics and methods applied |
| title_full_unstemmed | Systematic reviews of health economic evaluations: a protocol for a systematic review of characteristics and methods applied |
| title_short | Systematic reviews of health economic evaluations: a protocol for a systematic review of characteristics and methods applied |
| title_sort | systematic reviews of health economic evaluations a protocol for a systematic review of characteristics and methods applied |
| topic | Systematic review Economic evaluation Reimbursement Medical decision making |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13643-017-0639-8 |
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