Dictionary

D

D-Efficient DesignConceptD-Efficiency Design, Determinant-Efficient Design

A D-efficient design arranges feasible observations or choice tasks to provide high joint parameter precision, assessed by the determinant of a specified model’s expected information matrix.

DALY Calculation MethodConceptDALY Computation, DALY Estimation Approach

The methodology used to compute disability-adjusted life years, combining years of life lost to premature death with years lived with disability, weighted by severity.

Dashboard InterfaceTermAnalytics Dashboard, Results Dashboard

A visual display within a model or health information system presenting key inputs and results in a summarised, interactive format.

Data AccuracyTermRecording Accuracy, Data Correctness

The degree to which recorded data correctly reflect the true value of what they are meant to measure, free from measurement error.

Data AnalyticsTermHealth Data Analysis, Analytic Methods

The systematic computational analysis of data to discover patterns and support decision-making, applied across clinical, administrative, and real-world healthcare data.

Data Collection RequirementTermEvidence Generation Requirement, Data Requirement

A condition attached to a conditional reimbursement decision, mandating collection of additional real-world performance data within a defined timeframe.

Data CompletenessTermRecord Completeness, Data Coverage

The extent to which all intended data elements have actually been recorded, distinct from data accuracy, which concerns whether values are correct.

Data Entry ErrorTermKeying Error, Input Error

A mistake introduced when data are manually transcribed into a system, such as a misplaced decimal point, distorting subsequent analysis if uncorrected.

Data Envelopment AnalysisConceptDEA, Frontier Efficiency Method

Data envelopment analysis, or DEA, is a non-parametric linear-programming method that compares the relative technical efficiency of organisations or other decision-making units using multiple inputs and outputs.

Data ExclusivityTermRegulatory Data Protection, Data Protection Period

A period during which regulators cannot rely on an originator's trial data to approve a generic or biosimilar competitor, distinct from patent protection.

Data ExtractionTermEvidence Extraction, Study Data Coding

The systematic process of identifying and recording specific information from studies included in a systematic review, such as sample sizes.

Data GovernanceTermData Stewardship, Information Governance

The overall framework of policies and standards an organisation establishes to manage the availability, integrity, security, and usability of its data.

Data ImportTermData Loading, Data Ingestion

The process of loading external data, such as trial results or costs, into a health economic model's software for use as inputs.

Data InputTermModel Data Entry, Parameter Entry

The process or interface through which external evidence, such as trial results or unit costs, is entered into a model to populate its parameters.

Data Management CostTermData Handling Cost, Study Data Cost

The expense of collecting, cleaning, storing, and validating research data within a study, a significant component of overall study cost.

Data MiningTermKnowledge Discovery, Pattern Mining

The use of computational and statistical techniques to discover patterns or relationships within large datasets, often without a hypothesis defined in advance.

Data PoolingTermStudy Pooling, Statistical Pooling

The process of statistically combining results from multiple studies into a single summary estimate, weighted by each study's precision.

Data QualityTermData Fitness, Data Integrity

A broad concept covering a dataset's fitness for a given purpose, including its accuracy, completeness, relevance, and timeliness.

Data RelevanceTermData Applicability, Relevance to Question

The degree to which a dataset's population, exposures, and outcomes align with the specific research or decision question being addressed.

Data Safety Monitoring BoardTermDSMB, Data Monitoring Committee

An independent group reviewing accumulating safety and efficacy data from an ongoing trial, with authority to recommend stopping, modifying, or continuing it.

Data SecurityTermInformation Security, Health Data Protection

The technical and administrative measures used to protect electronic health information from unauthorised access, use, or disclosure.

Data StandardTermData Specification, Interoperability Standard

A defined specification governing how health information should be structured, coded, and exchanged between different information systems.

Data TimelinessTermData Currency, Data Recency

The degree to which a dataset reflects current, rather than outdated, conditions, practices, or populations.

Data Use AgreementTermDUA, Data Sharing Agreement

A formal contract governing the terms under which a dataset, particularly one containing patient-level health information, may be accessed and shared.

Data VisualisationTermData Visualization, Information Graphics

In health economics and analytics, the graphical presentation of data to reveal patterns, relationships and uncertainty, such as plotting probabilistic sensitivity analysis results or quality-control trends.

Database SelectionTermData Source Selection, Database Choice

The process of choosing an appropriate data source for a research question, based on population coverage, available data elements, and sample size.

Day LimitTermDay Cap, Covered Days Cap

A cap on the number of days of a specific care type, such as inpatient stay, that an insurance plan will cover in a period.

Day OutlierTermLength-of-Stay Outlier, Long-Stay Outlier

A case whose actual length of stay substantially exceeds what standard diagnosis-related group payment would expect, triggering additional supplemental payment.

Day SurgeryTermDay-Case Surgery, Same-Day Procedure

A surgical procedure performed on an outpatient basis, with the patient discharged home the same day rather than staying overnight.

Days Cash on HandTermDCOH, Cash Reserve Ratio

A financial ratio measuring how many days an organisation could cover its operating expenses using only available cash reserves, without extra revenue.

Days in Accounts ReceivableConceptDAR, AR Days

Days in accounts receivable (AR days) is a provider's net receivables divided by average daily net patient revenue, giving days of revenue still unpaid.

De-IdentificationTermData Anonymisation Process, Identifier Removal

The process of removing specified identifying information from a health dataset so it can no longer be readily linked to an individual.

Deadweight LossConceptWelfare Loss, Excess Burden

Deadweight loss is the net loss of total surplus when a tax, subsidy, market power or insurance drives a wedge between price and marginal cost.

Death SpiralTermAdverse-Selection Spiral, Premium Spiral

A destabilising dynamic in which rising premiums, driven by adverse selection, push healthier enrollees to exit, worsening the cycle further.

Death with DignityTermDignified Death, End-of-Life Autonomy

A concept describing the goal of managing a person's final period of life in a manner consistent with their values, comfort, and wishes.

Debt RatioTermDebt-to-Asset Ratio, Leverage Ratio

A financial ratio calculated as total liabilities divided by total assets, showing the proportion of assets financed through debt rather than equity.

DebuggingTermCode Error Correction, Model Fault Fixing

The process of identifying and correcting errors within a health economic model's underlying code or spreadsheet formulas.

DecentralizationTermDecentralisation, Authority Devolution

A health system approach distributing decision-making authority over financing or delivery away from a central government toward regional or local levels.

Decentralized SystemTermDevolved Health System, Regionalised System

A health system structure where significant decision-making authority is distributed to regional or local levels rather than concentrated nationally.

DecileTermTenth, Ten-Group Split

A descriptive statistic dividing a ranked dataset into ten equal-sized groups, the first decile being the bottom ten percent and the tenth the top.

DecisionConcept

A decision in health economics is a choice between alternative uses of health care resources, such as funding a technology, informed by evidence.

Decision AidTermDecision Support Tool, Shared-Decision Tool

A tool, such as a pamphlet or interactive website, helping patients understand treatment options and participate in an informed decision.

Decision AlgorithmConceptDecision Rule Set, Appraisal Algorithm

A decision algorithm is a fixed sequence of explicit rules that turns evidence into a decision, such as an outcome-level HTA benefit grade or a test order.

Decision AnalysisTermDecision-Analytic Approach, Decision Modelling Framework

In health economics, a systematic quantitative approach to choosing among options under uncertainty by modelling their expected costs and consequences.

Decision CriteriaConceptAppraisal Criteria, Decision Factors

Decision criteria are the factors an HTA body weighs in a funding recommendation, such as clinical benefit, cost-effectiveness and severity.

Decision Curve AnalysisConceptDCA

Decision curve analysis (DCA) plots the net benefit of a prediction model or test across risk thresholds against treating all or no patients.

Decision Fatigue ConceptTermDecision Fatigue, Choice Fatigue

A decline in decision quality following a long sequence of prior decisions, caused by depletion of self-regulatory capacity.

Decision MakingConceptHealth Care Decision Making

Decision making in health care is the process by which payers, HTA bodies and clinicians choose between options using evidence, costs, criteria and values.

Decision NodeConceptChoice Node, Decision Point

A decision node is a point in a decision tree, drawn as a square, where the decision maker chooses between options and no probabilities are attached.

Decision ProblemConcept

A decision problem is the choice an economic evaluation or model must inform, stated as population, options compared, outcomes, costs and decision maker.