Dictionary
The Dictionary provides concise definitions of health economics terms, arranged alphabetically for quick reference. Use it to understand unfamiliar terminology or confirm the meaning of a specific term.
E
- Evidence Collection
- The systematic process of identifying and gathering relevant studies to address a health economic or clinical question, via database and other searching.
- Evidence Implementation
- The systematic process of translating research findings into actual routine practice, addressing the gap between what works and what is done.
- Evidence Review
- A systematic evaluation of available research evidence relevant to a specific assessment question, following established systematic review methodology.
- Evidence Synthesis
- The process of systematically combining findings from multiple studies into a single summary, from simple meta-analysis to network meta-analysis.
- Evidence Synthesis HTA
- The process of systematically combining findings from multiple studies into a coherent summary, supporting both effectiveness conclusions and model parameters.
- Evidence-Based Benefit Assessment
- A benefit assessment grounded in systematically reviewed clinical trial data rather than expert opinion or manufacturer claims.
- Evidence-Based Decision Analysis
- A decision analysis whose probability and outcome inputs are drawn from systematically reviewed clinical evidence rather than unstructured expert opinion.
- Evidence-Based Effectiveness Research
- Effectiveness research grounded in systematically collected real-world data rather than clinical impression or extrapolation from trial results.
- Evidence-Based Equity Analysis
- An equity analysis grounded in systematically collected population health and socioeconomic data rather than assumption about which groups are disadvantaged.
- Evidence-Based Impact Analysis
- An impact analysis grounded in systematically collected outcome data rather than assumption or anecdote about a programme's effect.
- Evidence-Based Innovation Assessment
- An innovation assessment grounded in systematically reviewed clinical and technical evidence rather than manufacturer claims or informal opinion.
- Evidence-Based Outcome Assessment
- An outcome assessment grounded in systematically collected data rather than clinical impression or anecdote.
- Evidence-Based Performance Measurement
- A performance measurement grounded in systematically collected data rather than clinical impression or anecdote.
- Evidence-Based Policy Evaluation
- A policy evaluation grounded in systematically collected data on policy outcomes rather than assumption or political judgement alone.
- Evidence-Based Process Improvement
- A process improvement initiative grounded in systematically collected workflow data rather than assumption about where inefficiencies lie.
- Evidence-Based Quality Evaluation
- A quality evaluation grounded in systematically collected data on care processes and outcomes rather than clinical impression or anecdote.
- Evidence-Based Resource Allocation
- A resource allocation decision grounded in systematically collected cost and outcome data rather than historical precedent or political consideration alone.
- Evidence-Based Risk Evaluation
- A risk evaluation grounded in systematically collected epidemiological or claims data rather than assumption about which populations face elevated risk.
- Evidence-Based System Analysis
- A system analysis grounded in systematically collected health system performance data rather than assumption about how components interact.
- Evidence-Based Utilisation ReviewEvidence-Based Utilization Review
- A utilisation review grounded in systematically developed clinical appropriateness criteria rather than informal clinical judgement.
- Evidence-Based Value Measurement
- A value measurement grounded in systematically collected outcome and cost data rather than assumption about which providers deliver superior value.
- Expected Value of Partial Perfect InformationEVPPI
- The maximum value of completely resolving uncertainty in a specific subset of a model's parameters, while other parameters remain uncertain.
- Experimental Design
- The systematic planning of an empirical study to allow valid causal inference, including decisions about randomisation, control groups, and study conditions.
- Experimental Sustainability Evaluation
- A sustainability evaluation conducted for a pilot programme to test whether its resource model would remain viable if scaled more broadly.
- Explanation of Benefits
- A document an insurer sends after processing a claim, detailing services billed, the amount paid, and any remaining enrollee liability.
F
- Failure Mode Analysis
- A systematic, proactive method identifying potential ways a process might fail before failures occur, allowing preventive rather than reactive action.
- Financing Block
- A predetermined amount of funding allocated to a specific health programme or service area, within which it must operate regardless of demand.
- Fishbone Analysis
- The process of applying a cause and effect diagram to systematically identify and organise potential root causes of a quality problem.
- Fishbone Diagram
- A visual tool, also called a cause and effect or Ishikawa diagram, systematically identifying potential root causes of a problem.
G
- Genetic Screening
- The systematic testing of individuals or populations for genetic variants associated with disease risk, to identify who may benefit from targeted prevention or treatment.
- Global Burden of DiseaseGBD
- A research programme systematically quantifying the health loss caused by diseases, injuries, and risk factors across countries and time, using disability-adjusted life years.
- Guidance Review
- A periodic reassessment of previously published guidance to determine whether it remains current given new evidence or practice changes.
H
- Hazard-to-Probability Conversion
- The mathematical transformation converting an instantaneous hazard rate into the probability of an event occurring over a specific discrete time interval.
- Health Economic Model
- A mathematical representation of the costs and health outcomes of alternative interventions over a defined time horizon, used when single-study data are insufficient.
- Health in All Policies
- A policy approach systematically considering the health implications of decisions across all government sectors, not solely within the health sector itself.
- Health Savings Account
- A tax-advantaged savings account for individuals with a qualifying high-deductible plan, with funds carrying over indefinitely and remaining employee-owned.
- Herd Immunity Threshold
- The proportion of a population that must be immune to achieve herd immunity, mathematically related to a pathogen's basic reproduction number.
- High Performer Identification
- The process of systematically identifying providers who consistently achieve superior performance on quality or efficiency metrics, to understand and disseminate their practices.
- Horizon Scanning
- A systematic process identifying, tracking, and prioritising emerging technologies likely to significantly affect a health system, before market entry.
- Human Capital ApproachHCA
- A method for valuing productivity lost to illness, disability, or premature death, based on the market wages the person would otherwise have earned.
I
- Implementation Research
- A field developing and testing methods to promote systematic uptake of evidence-based interventions into routine practice and policy.
- Incident Investigation
- A systematic inquiry determining the facts, causes, and appropriate response following a reported compliance concern or significant incident.
- Indirect Cost
- A cost associated with an intervention that is not directly incurred in providing it, such as lost productivity from illness or premature death.
- Integrated Sustainability Evaluation
- A sustainability evaluation combining financial, workforce, and clinical demand projections into a single assessment rather than treating each separately.
- Interpolation
- A mathematical technique estimating an unknown value falling between two known data points, based on an assumed relationship between them.
J
- Jackknife
- A resampling technique estimating a statistic's variability by systematically recalculating it after removing one observation at a time.
L
- Lean Healthcare
- The application of lean management principles, from manufacturing, to healthcare process improvement, systematically identifying and eliminating waste in care delivery.
- Lean Methodology
- A management approach, from manufacturing, focused on maximising value for the end customer while systematically minimising waste within a process.
- Lifetime Cost
- The total expected healthcare expenditure a patient will incur over the remainder of their life, related to a condition and sometimes unrelated future costs.
- Lifetime Horizon
- A time horizon for an economic evaluation extending over the remaining expected lifespan of the population studied, rather than a shorter follow-up period.