Decision and Simulation Modeling Alongside Systematic Reviews

This chapter is part of a report entitled, Decision and Simulation Modeling in Systematic Reviews, that seeks to provide guidance for determining when incorporating a decision-analytic model alongside a systemic review would be of added value for decision making purposes.

The chapter discusses the role of decision analysis and decision-analytic models in health care, specifically within the context of the current emphasis on evidence-based medicine and the proliferation of systematic reviews. It describes the types of model available along with their limitations and propose when and how they can add value to the results of a systematic review.

The other 5 chapters in the report are:

• Overview of Decision Models Used in Research which provides a “scan” of the past 5 years of medical literature on the use of models in studies that compare intervention strategies using multiple sources of data.
• Use of Modeling in Systematic Reviews: The EPC Perspective which highlights the extent to which Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC) have incorporated models into data and presents results from key informant interviews with EPC members.
• Suggested Framework for Deciding When a Modeling Effort Should Be Added to a Systematic Review which presents a framework for deciding when a decision model can inform decision making alongside a systematic review.
• Potential Modeling Resources which discusses possible approaches and some of the challenges when undertaking modeling efforts.
• Best Practices for Decision and Simulation Modeling which combines the literature on modeling best practices with information from a focus group with modeling experts, and presents lessons learned about conducting a modeling exercise alongside a systematic review.