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
- Asymptotic NormalityLarge-Sample Normality, Asymptotic Gaussianity
- A statistical property whereby, as sample size grows large, an estimator's sampling distribution approaches a normal distribution regardless of the original data's shape.
C
- Central Limit TheoremCLT, Central Limit Law
- The central limit theorem states that, under suitable independence and finite-variance conditions, a properly standardised sample mean approaches a normal distribution as the number of observations increases.
G
- Generalized GammaGeneralised Gamma, Three-Parameter Gamma
- A flexible probability distribution including the gamma, Weibull, and log-normal distributions as special cases, capable of representing many hazard shapes.
K
- KurtosisTailedness, Peakedness
- A measure describing a distribution's tail shape relative to a normal distribution, higher values indicating heavier tails and more extreme outliers.
L
- Log-Normal DistributionLognormal Distribution, Galton Distribution
- A probability distribution in which the logarithm of the variable follows a normal distribution, often used for hazards that rise then fall.
- Log-Normal ModelLognormal Survival Model, Lognormal AFT
- A survival model based on the log-normal distribution, capable of representing a hazard that rises then falls, similar in shape to log-logistic.
N
- Normal DistributionGaussian Distribution, Bell Curve
- A normal distribution is a continuous, symmetric probability distribution characterised by a mean that sets its centre and a positive standard deviation that sets its spread.
S
- Standard NormalZ Distribution, Unit Normal
- A specific normal distribution with a mean of zero and standard deviation of one, used as a reference for standardising other variables.