Resources Repository
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BookPublication 2009Encyclopedia of Medical Decision Making
This encyclopedia addresses both prescriptive and descriptive decision making through a conceptual structure consisting of six …
This encyclopedia addresses both prescriptive and descriptive decision making through a conceptual structure consisting of six components of classical decision analysis. It includes articles that have been prepared by more than 200 contributors from around the world. The alphabetical organization of the encyclopedia facilitates access to information. A Reader’s Guide, organized by category of the decisionmaking process includes the following 7 components: Identification of the decision maker - in other words, who must choose. In general, there…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Decision Psychology | Preferences/Values | Costing Methods | Evidence Synthesis | Test Performance | Value of Information | Mathematical Models | Decision Analysis | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Technology Assessment | Health/Medicine -
ArticlePublication 2002QALYs versus WTP
This article discusses quality adjusted life years (QALYs) and willingness to pay (WTP), which are …
This article discusses quality adjusted life years (QALYs) and willingness to pay (WTP), which are alternative measures of the value of reductions in health risks. Although both methods are based on individual preferences, the underlying assumptions differ. The different bases yield systematically different conclusions about the relative value of reducing health and mortality risks to individuals who differ in age, preexisting health conditions, income, and other factors. The choice of which method to use depends…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Preferences/Values | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
ArticlePublication 2008Adjusting VSL for Age
This article addresses the theoretical ambiguity in the effect of age on the value of …
This article addresses the theoretical ambiguity in the effect of age on the value of statistical life (VSL) using a novel, age-dependent fatal risk measure to estimate age-specific hedonic wage regressions. VSL exhibits an inverted-U-shaped relationship with age. In the year 2000 cross section, workers' VSL rises from $3.7 million (ages 18–24) to $9.7 million (ages 35–44) and declines to $3.4 million (ages 55–62). Controlling for birth-year cohort effects yields a peak VSL of $7.8…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Preferences/Values | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
ArticlePublication 2007Mortality-Risk Valuation and Age
This article addresses whether a single value of statistical life (VSL) should be applied to …
This article addresses whether a single value of statistical life (VSL) should be applied to all age groups or whether lower values should be used for the elderly, recognizing that their life expectancies are shorter than those of younger people. Surveys of different age groups' willingness to pay (WTP) for mortality-risk reductions can potentially help resolve this issue. The 36 studies reviewed suggest that the literature is split on whether older people have a lower WTP…
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Preferences/Values | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
ReviewPublication 2006Ethical Issues in Resource Allocation, Research, and New Product Development
Ethical dilemmas arising in setting priorities among interventions and among individuals in need of care …
Ethical dilemmas arising in setting priorities among interventions and among individuals in need of care are most acute when needs are great and resources few. This chapter from the Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries 2nd edition addresses some of these concerns, identifying some of the principal ethical issues that arise in the development and allocation of effective interventions for developing countries and discussing some alternative resolutions. Resource allocation in health and elsewhere should satisfy two main…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Preferences/Values | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Culture/Society | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
BookPublication 2003WHO Guide to Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
This 2003 guide provides a method of assessing the cost-effectiveness of health interventions for an …
This 2003 guide provides a method of assessing the cost-effectiveness of health interventions for an international audience. The authors aim to inform the policy maker and to maximize the generalizability of results across settings. Part I begins with a description of cost-effectiveness analysis. It then considers issues relating to study design, estimating costs, assessing health effects, discounting, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, and reporting results. Part II provides examples to illustrate the principles in Part I. Detailed discussions…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Evidence Synthesis | Mathematical Models | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health Systems | Health/Medicine | Global -
ReviewPublication 2001Modeling for Health Care and Other Policy Decisions: Uses, Roles and Validity
This is a review article of the role of modeling approaches to guide decision making …
This is a review article of the role of modeling approaches to guide decision making in health care and other domains. The role of models to support recommendations on the cost-effective use of medical technologies and pharmaceuticals is controversial. At the heart of the controversy is the degree to which experimental or other empirical evidence should be required prior to model use. The authors argue that the controversy stems in part from a misconception that…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Evidence Synthesis | Mathematical Models | Technology Assessment | Environmental Health | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Business/Industry | Climate/Environment | Economics/Finance | Energy/Engineering | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | North America -
ArticlePublication 2000Valuing Mortality Risk: Theory and Practice
This article discusses the theoretical foundation and empirical methods for estimating the value of a …
This article discusses the theoretical foundation and empirical methods for estimating the value of a statistical life (VSL). VSL is defined by individuals' preferences for small changes in risk and income, and often used by environmental and other economists to measure the monetary value of reduced mortality risk. The article reviews the dependence of VSL on age, income, baseline mortality risk, and latency.
Benefit-Cost Analysis | Preferences/Values | Policy/Regulation | College | Graduate | Critical Thinking/Analysis -
BookPublication 1996Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine, 1st Edition
In 1993, the US Public Health Service convened a panel of 13 nongovernment scientists and …
In 1993, the US Public Health Service convened a panel of 13 nongovernment scientists and scholars with expertise in economics, clinical medicine, ethics, and statistics to review the state of cost-effectiveness analysis and to develop recommendations for its conduct and use in health and medicine. Publishing their results in 1996, they proposed the most explicit set of guidelines (together with their rationale) ever defined on the conduct of CEAs. The panel recommended analysts include a "reference-case"…
Priority Setting/Ethics | Preferences/Values | Costing Methods | Health Outcomes | Evidence Synthesis | Value of Information | Cost-Effectiveness Analysis | Health Systems | Policy/Regulation | Economics/Finance | Health/Medicine | North America