Dictionary

S

Step-Up TherapyTermEscalation Therapy, Dose Increase Strategy

A treatment strategy beginning with a lower-intensity or lower-cost option and escalating only if adequate disease control is not achieved.

Stepped CareTermStepped-Care Model, Graduated Care

A delivery model beginning with lower-intensity treatment and progressively escalating only if the initial approach proves insufficient, commonly in mental health.

Stepped Economic EvaluationTermStepped Approach, Stepped Translation of Trial Evidence

Stepped economic evaluation, in a PBAC submission, reports costs, outcomes and the ICER after each step that turns trial data into the modelled base case.

StewardshipTermSystem Oversight, System Direction

A core health system building block encompassing overarching responsibility for policy formulation, regulation, and accountability across the system's actors.

StigmaTermSocial Disapproval, Discrediting Attribute

A social process in which people with a particular characteristic, such as mental illness, are devalued through negative stereotyping and exclusion.

Stigma BarrierTermStigma-Related Barrier, Fear of Judgement

An obstacle to healthcare arising from fear of social judgement or discrimination, most commonly discussed for mental health or substance use.

Stochastic AnalysisTermStochastic Sensitivity Analysis, Random-Input Analysis

An analysis in which a model incorporates randomness explicitly, so repeated runs under the same inputs can produce different results, unlike a deterministic model.

Stochastic Frontier AnalysisConceptSFA, Parametric Frontier Analysis

A parametric method estimating relative efficiency of comparable units by modelling an efficiency frontier while accounting for random statistical noise.

Stochastic ModelTermRandom Model, Probabilistic Model

A model in which one or more inputs are random variables drawn from a probability distribution, producing a range of possible outcomes.

Stochastic ProgrammingConceptOptimisation under Uncertainty, Recourse Programming

An optimisation framework incorporating parameter uncertainty directly into the process, seeking a solution that performs well across possible parameter values.

Stochastic SimulationConceptRandom Simulation, Probabilistic Simulation

Stochastic simulation represents a system in which at least one event, transition, time or outcome is generated probabilistically.

Stock and Flow ModelConceptStock-Flow Model, System Dynamics Structure

A system dynamics structure representing accumulations, called stocks, such as infected individuals, and the rates of change into and out of them, called flows.

Stop-LossConceptLoss Cap, Excess-Loss Threshold

A health financing risk protection arrangement that reimburses eligible individual or aggregate claims above a specified attachment point, subject to the contract’s limits and exclusions.

Stop-Loss DesignTermExcess-Loss Structuring, Loss-Cap Design

The specific structure of a stop-loss arrangement, including the attachment point and whether coverage applies on an individual or aggregate basis.

Stop-Loss InsuranceTermExcess Loss Insurance, Loss-Cap Cover

A reinsurance type purchased by self-insured employers to protect against unexpectedly high claims costs, from a single case or aggregate total.

Stop-Loss ProvisionTermLoss-Limit Clause, Excess-Loss Provision

A contractual clause within a risk-sharing arrangement limiting a provider's maximum financial exposure to unexpectedly high claims costs.

Stopping RuleTermTrial Stopping Criterion, Termination Rule

A predefined statistical criterion set before a trial begins specifying the conditions under which it should stop early, for efficacy, futility, or safety.

Strategic PurchasingTermActive Purchasing, Strategic Commissioning

A financing approach where a payer actively negotiates prices, selects high-performing providers, and designs incentivising payment mechanisms, unlike passive purchasing.

Stratified AnalysisTermStratum-Specific Analysis, Stratified Estimation

An economic evaluation reporting cost-effectiveness results separately for distinct population subgroups, such as by disease severity or age, rather than one pooled result.

Stratified Log-RankTermAdjusted Log-Rank, Stratum-Adjusted Test

A variant of the log-rank test accounting for stratifying variables, comparing survival within each stratum before combining into an overall statistic.

Stratified MedicineTermStratified Therapy, Subgroup-Targeted Medicine

An approach grouping patients into subpopulations by shared characteristics likely to influence treatment response, allowing more targeted treatment decisions.

Stratified RandomizationTermStratified Random Allocation, Stratum Randomisation

A randomisation technique first dividing participants into strata based on an outcome-influencing characteristic, then randomising separately within each stratum.

Stratified SamplingTermStratified Random Sampling, Proportional Sampling, Stratification Design, Stratification Scheme, Stratum Design

A sampling technique dividing a population into distinct subgroups, called strata, and drawing a separate sample from each to ensure adequate representation.

Streamlined AuthorityTermStreamlined Code Prescribing, Simplified Authority Listing

A simplified or expedited decision-making pathway applied to certain technologies, such as those with well-established evidence, reducing review time.

Strength Of EvidenceTermEvidence Strength, Body-of-Evidence Rating

An overall judgement of how much confidence can be placed in a body of evidence, incorporating study quality, consistency, and precision.

Strict DominanceConceptSimple Dominance, Absolute Dominance

Strict dominance in cost-effectiveness analysis is when one option both costs less and gives more health than another, so the other option is ruled out.

Stringent Complete ResponseTermsCR, Stringent CR

A myeloma response criterion more rigorous than a standard complete response, requiring additional laboratory confirmation, such as normalised light chain ratios.

Stroke CentreTermStroke Unit, Acute Stroke Facility

A specialist facility or unit equipped for rapid, specialised stroke treatment, often certified according to established stroke care quality standards.

Strong RecommendationTermStrong Guideline Recommendation, Grade 1 Recommendation

Within GRADE, a recommendation indicating benefits clearly outweigh harms with high confidence, such that most patients would choose to follow it.

Structural AssumptionTermStructural Modelling Assumption, Model-Form Assumption

A simplifying premise embedded in a model's overall design, such as representing a disease with a fixed number of health states.

Structural Equation ModelConceptSEM, Structural Equation

A system of linked equations representing hypothesised relationships among observed and possibly latent variables, often combining a measurement model with structural paths.

Structural QualityTermFacility-Level Quality, Structure-of-Care Quality

A healthcare quality dimension focused on available resources and organisational characteristics, such as staffing and equipment, unlike process or outcomes.

Structural Sensitivity AnalysisTermStructural SA, Model-Structure Sensitivity

A sensitivity analysis testing how results change under alternative structural assumptions, such as a different survival extrapolation function, rather than parameter values.

Structural UncertaintyConceptModel-Structure Uncertainty, Structural Model Uncertainty

Structural uncertainty is doubt about how a health economic model represents a decision problem, such as its health states, pathways or extrapolation.

Structural ValidityTerm

The degree to which a model's overall architecture, including its health states and time horizon, appropriately represents the real-world process being studied.

Structural Validity (Measurement Instrument)ConceptFactorial Validity, Dimensional Validity, Internal Structure Validity

Structural validity of a measurement instrument is how far a health questionnaire's scores reflect the dimensions of the construct it is meant to measure.

Structure MeasureTermStructure Indicator, Input Measure

A metric assessing resources and organisational characteristics available to deliver care, such as staffing or equipment, unlike process or outcomes.

Structure Quality IndicatorTermStructural Quality Indicator, Structure Metric

A measurable metric assessing the resources and organisational capacity available to a provider, such as staffing ratios or specialist equipment.

Structured Expert JudgmentTermSEJ, Classical Model Elicitation

A formal, methodologically rigorous approach to eliciting and combining expert opinion, with explicit protocols for framing, elicitation, and aggregation.

Studentized ResidualTermStudentised Residual, Jackknife Residual

A standardised residual excluding an observation's own contribution to the model fit, a more robust diagnostic for identifying influential data points.

Study DesignTermResearch Design, Investigation Design

The overall plan and structure of a research investigation, covering decisions such as randomisation, participant selection, and outcome measurement.

Study SelectionTermStudy Inclusion, Trial Selection

The process of applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria to identified studies, determining which are included in a systematic review.

Study-Level CovariateTermAggregate Covariate, Trial-Level Covariate

A characteristic recorded at the level of an entire study, such as average patient age, used in meta-regression to explain heterogeneity.

Subcutaneous AdministrationTermSC Administration, Subcutaneous Injection

A route of drug administration involving injection into the fatty tissue beneath the skin, often suitable for patient self-administration at home.

Subgroup AnalysisConceptSubgroup Assessment, Subpopulation Analysis

An analysis that estimates and compares an association or intervention effect across defined categories of participants, with treatment-effect differences assessed through an interaction on a specified scale.

Subgroup Cost-EffectivenessTermSubgroup CEA, Stratified Cost-Effectiveness

An estimate of an intervention's ICER calculated for a specific patient subgroup rather than for the overall study population.

Submission DossierTermAssessment Dossier, Submission Package

A comprehensive document presenting clinical and economic evidence supporting a new technology, submitted to an assessment body or regulator.

Submission PreparationTermDossier Preparation, Submission Development

The process of compiling and formatting the comprehensive clinical, non-clinical, and manufacturing data required for a regulatory marketing application.

Subscription PricingTermSubscription Model, Netflix Model

A payment model in which a payer pays a fixed periodic fee for essentially unlimited treatment access, rather than paying per unit or patient.

Subsequent Generic EntryTermLater Generic Entry, Multiple Generic Entry

The entry of additional generic competitors following the first, typically bringing further price declines as competition among manufacturers intensifies.