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
- Census Data
- Comprehensive demographic data from a periodic, complete population enumeration, providing the population totals and age structure used in health economic models.
- Change Log
- A documented record of modifications made to a health economic model over time, including the date, nature, and reason for each change.
D
- Data Import
- The process of loading external data, such as trial results or costs, into a health economic model's software for use as inputs.
- Debugging
- The process of identifying and correcting errors within a health economic model's underlying code or spreadsheet formulas.
E
- Evidence Source
- The specific origin of data or findings used to inform a health economic model, from clinical trials to published literature.
H
- 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.
I
- Input Interface
- The component of a health economic model allowing a user to enter or adjust parameter values without altering the underlying structural code.
L
- Lookup Table
- A data structure storing precomputed values, such as mortality rates or unit costs, indexed for quick retrieval within a health economic model.
M
- Model Code
- The complete set of programming instructions or spreadsheet formulas that implement a health economic model's calculations.
- Model Interface
- The point of interaction between a health economic model and its users, covering adjustable inputs and displayed outputs.
- Model Output
- The results produced by a health economic model, such as total expected cost, QALYs, and the resulting incremental cost-effectiveness ratio.
- Model Platform
- The specific software environment, such as a spreadsheet or a specialised programming language, in which a health economic model is built and run.
- Model Structure
- The overall organisation of a health economic model, including its technique, the health states or events represented, and how they link together.
O
- Output Interface
- The component of a health economic model that presents its results, such as cost-effectiveness ratios, in a format accessible to users.
R
- Random Number Generation
- The computational process of producing a sequence of numbers approximating true randomness, used to sample parameter values in probabilistic health economic models.
S
- Standardised Mortality Ratio ApplicationStandardized Mortality Ratio Application
- The use of a standardised mortality ratio to adjust survival estimates for background mortality within a health economic model.
U
- Uncertainty
- A general term describing imperfect knowledge of the true values, structure, or methodological choices underlying a health economic model.