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
- Comparative EvidenceRelative-Effect Evidence, Comparative Effect Data
- Data comparing the relative effects of two or more interventions, whether from a direct head-to-head trial or indirect network meta-analysis.
- ConsistencyDirect-Indirect Agreement, Network Coherence
- Within network meta-analysis, the property that direct and indirect evidence for the same treatment pair agree with one another.
D
- Direct EvidenceWithin-Trial Comparative Evidence, Direct Trial Evidence
- Within network meta-analysis, evidence comparing two treatments from trials in which those treatments were directly compared, unlike indirect evidence.
I
- InconsistencyDirect-Indirect Discrepancy, Evidence Discordance
- Within network meta-analysis, a discrepancy between direct and indirect evidence for the same comparison, indicating the two sources disagree.
- Indirect EvidenceIndirect NMA Evidence, Chained Evidence
- Within network meta-analysis, evidence comparing two treatments derived through a chain of comparisons via a common comparator, not from direct trials.
L
- League Table
- A table from a network meta-analysis displaying every treatment's estimated relative effect against every other treatment, organised for pairwise lookup.
N
- Network GeometryNetwork Shape, Evidence Network Structure
- The overall structure and pattern of connections formed by trials in a network meta-analysis, showing which treatments were compared directly.
- Network Meta-AnalysisNMA, Multiple-Treatments Meta-Analysis, Mixed Treatment Comparison, MTC
- Network meta-analysis, or NMA, compares three or more interventions by combining direct evidence from head-to-head studies with indirect evidence connected through common comparators.
- Network Meta-Analysis HTANMA in HTA, NMA for Reimbursement
- The application of network meta-analysis specifically within health technology assessment, generating comparative effectiveness estimates when treatments were never studied together.
- Node-SplittingNode-Split Model, Inconsistency Check
- A technique testing for inconsistency in a network meta-analysis by separately estimating direct and indirect evidence for one comparison and comparing them.
P
- P-ScoreFrequentist SUCRA, Frequentist Ranking Probability
- A frequentist network meta-analysis measure ranking treatments by the extent one is expected to outperform every other treatment in the network.
- Pairwise Meta-AnalysisStandard Meta-Analysis, Direct Meta-Analysis
- A meta-analysis combining evidence comparing exactly two treatments, unlike a network meta-analysis synthesising evidence across three or more.
S
- SUCRASurface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve, Cumulative Ranking Probability
- An abbreviation for the surface under the cumulative ranking curve, ranking treatments in a Bayesian network meta-analysis by probability of being most effective.
T
- Transitivity
- A key network meta-analysis assumption that treatments compared indirectly are similar enough in relevant characteristics for the comparison to be valid.
- Treatment Network
- The complete set of treatments and connecting trials forming the basis for a network meta-analysis, typically shown as nodes and connecting lines.
- Treatment Ranking
- The ordering of treatments in a network meta-analysis by estimated relative effectiveness, often summarised using measures such as SUCRA or P-scores.