A Critical Review of Model-Based Economic Studies of Depression
2012
This article, published in PharmacoEconomics, reviews the literature on model-based cost-utility studies of depression. The strengths and limitations of different modeling techniques and the factors influencing the choice for a specific modeling technique is discussed. The authors also address the appropriateness of model structure and data sources used to populate the models.
This review identifies fourteen model-based studies including 8 studies that developed decision trees, 5 studies used Markov models, and one study a Markov microsimulation model. Most of these studies evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different classes of antidepressants, with a smaller number of studies investigating combination therapy (i.e., antidepressants plus psychotherapy). Only one study assesses the cost-effectiveness of a care program. Besides the different modeling techniques, the studies also use different time horizons, model structures and data sources, which complicates the comparability of the study results. The findings of this review also indicate that a few reviewed models did not include some important structural aspects, such as the possibility of relapse or the increased risk of suicide in patients with depression.
The authors conclude that a discrete-event simulation may be the preferred technique for the economic evaluation of depression due to the greater flexibility with respect to handling time compared with other individual-based modeling techniques.
A Critical Review of Model-Based Economic Studies of Depression
Source:
Haji Ali Afzali H, Karnon J, Gray J. A Critical Review of Model-Based Economic Studies of Depression: Modelling Techniques, Model Structure and Data Sources. Pharmacoeconomics 2012; 30 (6): 461-482. https://doi.org/10.2165/11590500-000000000-00000
Not open access.