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.
F
- Fleming-Harrington EstimatorFleming-Harrington Survival Estimator, Weighted Survival Estimator
- A statistical technique for estimating the survival function from censored data, more flexible than the Kaplan-Meier estimator in weighting events over time.
- Flexible Parametric ModelSpline-Based Survival Model, Flexible Hazard Model
- A flexible parametric model is a fully specified regression model that represents a transformed survival function with smooth functions of time, commonly restricted cubic splines, so complex hazards and time-varying effects can be estimated and extrapolated.
K
- Kaplan-Meier EstimatorKM Estimator, Kaplan-Meier Survival Estimate, Product Limit Estimator
- The Kaplan–Meier estimator calculates a non-parametric estimate of the survival function when follow-up can be right-censored.
- Kaplan-Meier MethodKM Method, Product-Limit Method
- The overall approach of estimating and comparing survival functions using the Kaplan-Meier estimator, accounting for censored observations in time-to-event data.
L
- Log-Logistic DistributionFisk Distribution, Loglogistic AFT Model
- A two-parameter continuous distribution for positive event times whose logarithm is logistic; its survival function has a heavy tail, and its hazard may rise and then fall.
N
- Non-Parametric EstimationDistribution-Free Estimation, Empirical Estimation
- A statistical approach to estimating a survival function without assuming the data follow any specific mathematical distribution.
P
- Parametric EstimationParametric Fitting, Distribution-Based Estimation
- A statistical approach estimating a survival function by assuming the data follow a specific distribution, such as Weibull or log-normal, with estimated parameters.
S
- Survival FunctionSurvivor Function, Survivorship Function
- A function giving the probability that a person survives without the event of interest beyond a specified point in time.