Dictionary

I

Inflation RateTermRate of Inflation, Price Inflation

The percentage rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services rises over a given period.

Influential ObservationTermInfluential Point, High-Influence Observation

A data point that, if removed, would substantially change a statistical analysis's results, such as a regression model's estimated coefficients.

Influenza EconomicsTermFlu Economics, Economics of Influenza

The application of health economic evaluation to seasonal and pandemic influenza, covering annual vaccination programmes and antiviral treatment strategies.

Informal Care CostTermUnpaid Care Cost, Informal Caregiving Cost

The economic value of unpaid caregiving time from family or friends, typically estimated using replacement cost or the carer's forgone time.

Informal Care EconomicsTermEconomics of Informal Care, Unpaid Care Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to unpaid care from family or friends, covering both caregiving time and its effect on the carer.

Information AsymmetryConceptAsymmetric Information, Information Imbalance

Information asymmetry occurs when one party to an economic decision has more or better information than another, affecting choices, bargaining power and the efficiency of resulting outcomes.

Information BarrierTermAwareness Barrier, Information Access Obstacle

An obstacle to healthcare arising from a lack of adequate information, whether about available services, one's condition, or the system.

Information BiasConceptObservation Bias, Ascertainment Bias

A category of bias from errors in how exposure, outcome, or covariate data are measured or recorded, including recall bias and measurement error.

Information EconomicsTermEconomics of Information, Info Economics

The branch of economic theory examining how the distribution of information among market participants affects outcomes, including adverse selection and moral hazard.

Informed ConsentTermVoluntary Consent, Consent to Participate

The process by which a potential participant is given enough information about a study to make a voluntary, informed decision to join.

Informed Consent for ResearchConceptResearch Participation Consent, Study Consent Process

A voluntary, informed and ongoing agreement to participate in specified research after an understandable explanation and opportunity to decide freely.

Informed RefusalTermTreatment Refusal, Informed Declination

A patient's decision to decline recommended treatment after being given sufficient information about its risks, benefits, and alternatives.

Infusion CentreTermInfusion Clinic, IV Therapy Centre

A specialist facility dedicated to administering intravenous medications, such as chemotherapy or biologic infusions, typically on an outpatient basis.

InhalationTermInhaled Administration, Respiratory Route

A route of drug administration delivering medication directly to the lungs through breathing, commonly used for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

InitializationTermModel Initialisation, Starting-State Setup

The process of specifying a model's starting conditions, such as how a simulated cohort is distributed across health states at the outset.

Injury EpidemiologyTermInjury Surveillance, Trauma Epidemiology

A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, causes, and prevention of injuries, both unintentional, such as falls, and intentional, such as assault.

Injury Prevention EconomicsTermEconomics of Injury Prevention, Safety Intervention Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to programmes reducing unintentional and intentional injuries, spanning road, workplace, and violence prevention.

Inner LoopTermInner Simulation Loop, Conditional Loop

The portion of a nested simulation running a complete analysis for each parameter set drawn in an outer loop, used in value of information calculations.

InnovationTermNew Idea Introduction, Value-Creating Novelty

The introduction of a new idea, technology, or method that creates value, from incremental improvement to fundamental, disruptive change.

Innovation AdoptionTermTechnology Adoption, Adoption of Innovation

The process by which a new technology or practice becomes accepted and integrated into routine clinical use over time.

Innovation AssessmentTermInnovation Evaluation

An evaluation of how far a new technology advances on the existing standard of care, informing whether its novelty justifies additional cost.

Innovation CriterionTermInnovation Weighting, Novelty Criterion

A standard giving additional weight to a technology's genuinely novel characteristics, such as a new mechanism addressing unmet need.

Innovation CycleTermInnovation Lifecycle, Technology Development Cycle

The recurring process through which new technologies are conceived, developed, tested, approved, and eventually superseded by later innovations.

Innovation PremiumTermNovelty Premium, Innovation Price Premium

The additional price a manufacturer charges for a genuinely novel treatment relative to existing alternatives, reflecting incremental clinical benefit and development investment.

Innovative TreatmentTermNovel Treatment, Pioneering Treatment

A technology introducing a genuinely novel approach to a condition, unlike an incremental modification of an existing treatment.

Innovative ValueTermNovelty Value, Innovation Value Component

A component of a technology's value reflecting genuinely novel characteristics, such as an entirely new mechanism addressing unmet need.

Inpatient CareTermAdmitted Patient Care, Overnight Hospital Care

Healthcare services provided to a patient formally admitted to hospital, typically requiring at least one overnight stay, unlike outpatient care.

Inpatient ManagementTermWard Management, Admitted Patient Management

The clinical and administrative processes coordinating and delivering care to hospitalised patients, covering admission, coordination, and discharge planning.

Inpatient Quality IndicatorTermIQI, Hospital Quality Indicator

A standardised measure assessing inpatient stay care quality, covering hospital mortality, procedure utilisation, and complex procedure volume.

Inpatient RehabilitationTermIRF Care, Acute Rehabilitation

Intensive, multidisciplinary rehabilitative care for a hospitalised patient recovering from a significant illness, injury, or surgery, in a dedicated unit.

Inpatient SurgeryTermAdmitted Surgery, Overnight Surgery

A surgical procedure performed on a patient formally admitted to hospital, typically requiring at least one overnight stay, unlike outpatient surgery.

Input InterfaceTermModel Input Panel, Model Input Screen

The component of a health economic model allowing a user to enter or adjust parameter values without altering the underlying structural code.

Institutional PerspectiveTermHospital Perspective, Provider Institution Perspective

An analytic viewpoint including only costs and outcomes relevant to a single institution, such as a hospital, rather than the broader health system.

Institutional Review BoardTermIRB, Research Ethics Board

A formally constituted committee responsible for reviewing and approving human subjects research, ensuring risks are minimised and informed consent is adequate.

Instrumental Activities of Daily LivingTermIADL, Complex Daily Activities

Activities required for independent living beyond basic self-care, such as managing finances and using transport, distinct from basic activities of daily living.

Instrumental VariableConceptIV, Instrument

An instrumental variable is a variable that changes treatment or exposure uptake while, under specified causal assumptions, being independent of potential outcomes and affecting the outcome only through that treatment or exposure.

Instrumental Variable AnalysisConceptIV Analysis, IV Estimation

Instrumental variable analysis is a causal estimation approach that uses variation in treatment or exposure induced by a qualifying instrument to estimate an effect under explicit identification and modelling assumptions.

Instrumental Variable DesignTermIV Design, Instrument-Based Design

A study design using a variable affecting treatment assignment but with no direct outcome effect, to estimate causal effects despite unmeasured confounding.

Insulin CostTermCost of Insulin, Insulin Price

The price of insulin required for diabetes management, a significant and closely scrutinised component of overall diabetes treatment cost.

Insulin EconomicsTermEconomics of Insulin, Insulin Therapy Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to insulin therapy, comparing formulations, delivery devices, and treatment regimens for diabetes management.

Insulin Pump EconomicsTermInsulin Pump Therapy Economics, CSII Economics

The application of health economic evaluation to insulin pump therapy, a device delivering insulin more precisely than multiple daily injections.

Insurance Appeal ProcessTermClaim Appeal Procedure, Coverage Appeal Process

The formal procedure through which an insured individual can challenge a denied claim or coverage decision, requesting reconsideration.

Insurance Coverage GapTermCoverage Lapse, Uninsured Period

A period during which an individual lacks any health insurance, whether from a job transition, lost programme eligibility, or another disruption.

Insurance MandateTermHealth Insurance Requirement, Statutory Coverage Requirement

A general term for a legal requirement that individuals maintain, or employers offer, health insurance coverage.

Insurance PolicyTermPolicy Contract, Insurance Contract

A contractual arrangement in which an individual pays a periodic premium for financial protection against specified future events, up to defined terms.

Insurance ValueTermFinancial Risk Value, Risk-Protection Value

A component of a technology's value reflecting the benefit patients receive from reduced financial risk, distinct from direct clinical benefit.

Intangible CostConceptNon-Financial Cost, Psychosocial Cost

A cost representing the non-financial burden of illness or treatment, such as pain or reduced quality of life, that is hard to value in money.

Integer ProgrammingConceptInteger Optimisation, Discrete Optimisation

Integer programming chooses which indivisible health programmes or medicines to fund to maximise health gain, such as QALYs, within a fixed budget.

Integrated CareTermCare Integration, Joined-Up Care

A care delivery model coordinating services across different providers, settings, and health system levels for a more seamless patient experience.

Integrated Decision AnalysisTermCombined Decision Analysis, Unified Decision Model

A decision analysis that combines clinical, economic, and patient preference data into a single model rather than separate analyses.