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.
C
- Confounding
- A distortion in the estimated association between an exposure and an outcome caused by a third variable related to both.
- Confounding by Aggregation
- A form of confounding arising when data analysed at group level rather than individual level mixes within-group and between-group effects together.
- Confounding by Indication
- Confounding in pharmacoepidemiology arising when the reason for prescribing a treatment is itself linked to a patient's underlying risk of the outcome studied.
E
- Effect Modification
- A situation where an exposure's effect on an outcome genuinely differs across levels of a third variable, unlike confounding, which is a bias.
I
- Instrumental Variable
- A variable associated with the exposure of interest but with no direct effect on the outcome except through that exposure, used to address confounding.
- Instrumental Variable Analysis
- A technique estimating a causal effect despite unmeasured confounding, using a variable that affects treatment but not the outcome except through treatment.
- Instrumental Variable Design
- A study design using a variable affecting treatment assignment but with no direct outcome effect, to estimate causal effects despite unmeasured confounding.
M
- Matching Design
- A study design pairing treated individuals with similar untreated individuals on shared characteristics, to reduce confounding when estimating causal effect.
P
- Propensity Score MatchingPSM
- A statistical technique pairing treated individuals with similar untreated individuals based on an estimated propensity score, balancing measured confounding variables.
R
- Regression Adjustment
- A technique using a regression model to control for measured confounding variables when estimating an exposure-outcome association.
U
- Unmeasured Confounding
- A situation where a true confounder exists but was not recorded, preventing statistical adjustment for its distorting effect on an association.