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.
A
- Analytic Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology testing specific hypotheses about disease causes by comparing exposed and unexposed groups to estimate measures of association.
B
- Bargaining Theory
- A branch of economic theory analysing how parties negotiate to reach a mutually acceptable agreement when their interests partly conflict.
- Branch
- A pathway within a decision tree representing one of the possible outcomes or choices available at a given node.
- Branching Logic
- The rules within a decision-analytic model determining which pathway a hypothetical patient follows based on preceding chance or decision nodes.
C
- Cancer Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, causes, and patterns of cancer occurrence, including risk factors and prevention or screening strategies.
- Cardiovascular Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution and determinants of cardiovascular disease, including major modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors.
- Chance Node
- A point in a decision tree where the pathway followed is determined by probability rather than choice, branches summing to one.
- Chronic Disease Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, risk factors, and natural history of long-lasting, non-communicable conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
- Contract Theory
- A branch of economic theory analysing how agreements can be structured to align incentives when information is imperfect or unequally distributed.
- Cost Accounting
- The branch of accounting concerned with recording, classifying, and analysing the costs of an organisation's activities, products, or services.
D
- Decision Tree Model
- A decision-analytic model built on the decision tree structure, with all possible patient pathways explicitly represented as branches to calculate expected cost.
- Descriptive Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology characterising disease distribution by factors such as person, place, and time, without directly testing causal hypotheses.
- Descriptive Statistics
- A branch of statistics concerned with summarising a dataset's basic features, such as central tendency and dispersion, without drawing inferences about a broader population.
- Distributive Justice
- A branch of ethical and political philosophy concerned with the fair allocation of resources, benefits, and burdens across a society.
E
- Environmental Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying how physical environment exposures, such as air pollution, affect human health outcomes within populations.
F
- Fundamental Decision Analysis
- A decision analysis limited to the most basic representation of a choice, typically a simple decision tree with few branches.
G
- Genetic Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the role of genetic factors, and their interaction with environmental factors, in disease occurrence.
I
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, transmission dynamics, and control of communicable diseases within populations.
- Inferential Statistics
- A branch of statistics drawing conclusions about a broader population from sample data, incorporating formal methods for quantifying uncertainty.
- Information Economics
- The branch of economic theory examining how the distribution of information among market participants affects outcomes, including adverse selection and moral hazard.
- Injury Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, causes, and prevention of injuries, both unintentional, such as falls, and intentional, such as assault.
M
- Matrix Algebra
- The branch of mathematics concerned with the representation and manipulation of matrices and the operations performed on them.
- Mechanism Design
- A branch of economic theory concerned with designing rules, such as auctions or payment systems, that produce good outcomes despite strategic, privately informed participants.
- Molecular Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology incorporating molecular and genetic biomarkers into the study of disease distribution and causation, allowing precise characterisation of disease subtypes.
N
- Non-Parametric Statistics
- A branch of statistics encompassing methods that do not require data to follow a specified probability distribution, robust when assumptions are questionable.
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the relationship between dietary patterns and nutrient intake and the occurrence of disease within populations.
O
- Occupational Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the relationship between workplace exposures and health outcomes among working populations.
P
- Parametric Statistics
- A branch of statistics encompassing methods assuming data follow a specific probability distribution characterised by a fixed set of parameters.
- Perinatal Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying health outcomes and their determinants during pregnancy, childbirth, and the immediate postnatal period.
- Producer Theory
- The branch of microeconomic theory analysing how firms choose inputs and output levels to maximise profit given their costs and market conditions.
- Psychiatric Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying the distribution, causes, and course of mental health conditions within populations.
- Public Choice Theory
- A branch of economics applying the tools of economic analysis, including self-interested behaviour, to political and governmental decision-making.
R
- Reproductive Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying factors affecting human fertility, reproductive health, and reproductive outcomes within populations.
- Research Ethics
- The branch of applied ethics concerned with moral principles governing human subjects research, including respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.
S
- Social Epidemiology
- A branch of epidemiology studying how social structures and conditions, such as income inequality, affect the distribution of health and disease.
- Survival Analysis
- A branch of statistics concerned with the time until an event of interest occurs, appropriately accounting for censored observations.
T
- Terminal Node
- The endpoint of a branch within a decision tree, where no further events are attached and final cost and outcome values are recorded.