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Dictionary of Evidence-based Medicine.pdf

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<strong>Dictionary</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Evidence</strong>-<strong>based</strong> <strong>Medicine</strong> 113<br />

Off-label use<br />

Off-label use <strong>of</strong> medicines refers to their prescribing and use outside<br />

the licensed indications. This is a common practice in paediatrics and<br />

obstetrics since, for ethical reasons, trials are difficult to conduct in the<br />

subject groups concerned. Therefore, when the drug dossiers are submitted<br />

for licensing <strong>of</strong> the products concerned, manufacturers usually put in a<br />

disclaimer and in the absence <strong>of</strong> data, the licensing authorities are unable to<br />

make meaningful comments except those <strong>based</strong> on pre-clinical animal data.<br />

Oligopoly (see under Oligopsony)<br />

Oligopsony<br />

An oligopsony is a market characterized by a few large buyers so that each<br />

needs to take careful account <strong>of</strong> the others' reactions when formulating<br />

their own purchasing strategies. In contrast, an oligopoly is a market characterized<br />

by a few large manufacturers or suppliers. Again, each needs to<br />

carefully consider the others' potential reactions when formulating their<br />

own pricing strategies. Just like monopolies, oligopolies exist only if there<br />

are sufficient barriers to prevent other firms from entering the market. Both<br />

technical and strategic barriers can exist (e.g. barriers to entry presented by<br />

branding or patents, both <strong>of</strong> which are important in the pharmaceuticals<br />

industry).<br />

ONS (see Office <strong>of</strong> National Statistics)<br />

OPCS (see Office <strong>of</strong> Population Censuses and Surveys)<br />

Open-ended contingent valuation (see under Contingent valuation)<br />

Operational research<br />

Operational research is the use <strong>of</strong> qualitative methods for modelling complex<br />

systems in an environment <strong>of</strong> constraint, uncertainty and change so<br />

that a better understanding <strong>of</strong> those systems can be obtained and their<br />

solutions sought within the resultant structured framework. The aim <strong>of</strong><br />

OR practitioners is to improve organizational performance through better<br />

decisions (see also Decision analysis).

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