Evidence-based Medicine Toolkit

66 Evidence-based Medicine ToolkitEconomic evaluations compare the costs and outcomes of two ormore treatments or care alternatives.1 Does the economic evaluation (EE) address a clearlyfocused question?Is it clear at the outset what the authors are trying to achieve?2 What kind of EE is it?Cost–consequencesstudy:Cost-minimizationanalysis:Cost-effectivenessanalysis:Cost–utility analysis:Cost–benefitanalysis:the outcomes of each intervention are measuredin different units, so it’s not possible to comparethe interventions.the outcomes are the same for each interventionso we’re just interested in which is least costly.the outcomes are different and are measured innatural units, such as blood pressure, event ratesor survival rates.the outcomes are different and are measured inpatient utilities, such as QALYs.the outcomes are different and are measured inmonetary terms.3 Is a clear description of the interventions given?Look for issues of confounding, how complex is the intervention?Is there sufficient information to allow the intervention to be reproducedin clinical practice. Are the interventions feasible?4 Is there good evidence that the interventions areeffective?This evidence should come from good quality systematic reviewsof RCTs, or good quality RCTs. The authors should clearly cite thisevidence as the rationale for their economic evaluation.