Health Economic Evaluation

Recommended Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Teaching Methods

In this course we propose a mixed of teaching methodologies during the learning process. In specific parts of the program teaching will be more passive, since the teacher makes the presentation of the theoretical issues supported by the selected bibliography, and in other parts it will be more active, and the students can discuss and present the results of their specific analysis related with the topics of the course. One important goal  is that the students will be able to design and develop an economic evaluation method applied to an health care program or project.

Learning Outcomes

The students will be able to design and develop any of the economic evaluation methods applied to health care programs and projects. They will also understand the specific problems related to the application of the different methodologies, namely: the methods of measuring and valuing capital costs, the allowance for differential timing of costs and benefits, the use of quality of life scales, the estimation of utilities in the QALYs calculation and the assigning of money values to health outcomes. Other of the expected learning outcomes is that students will be able to make a critical appraisal of economic evaluation studies, applied to health sector decisions, as well as understand its limitations.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

- Introduction - Why evaluate health? Theoretical foundations of the economic evaluation of health programs. Main methods and decision criteria.

- The cost of disease - Importance of this type of studies in economic evaluation. Measurement and value of costs. Update costs and other adjustments. Major methodological problems.

- Cost-Effectiveness analysis (CEA) - Basic principles of CEA. Effectiveness measures and sources of data. Results of CEA and Cost Effectiveness Plan. Main problems and limitations.

- Cost-Utility Analysis (CUA) - Basics of CUA. Measurement of quality of life. Utilities and QALYs. Main problems and limitations.

- Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) - Assigning monetary values to health outcomes. Method of willingness to pay and the problems with its use.

- Critical evaluation of economic evaluation studies. Limitations of the techniques of economic evaluation in the decision-making.

Head Lecturer(s)

Carlota Maria Miranda Quintal

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Other: 10.0%
Research work: 40.0%
Exam: 50.0%

Bibliography

- Drummond MF, McGuire A. Economic evaluation in health care: merging theory with practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

- Drummond MF, Sculpher MJ, Claxton K, Stoddart GL, Torrance GW. Methods for the economic evaluation of health care programmes. 4rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.

- Elliott R, Payne K. Essentials of economic evaluation in healthcare. London: Pharmaceutical Press, 2005.

- Pereira J, coord. Farmaeconomia: Princípios e Métodos. Madrid: Wolters Kluwer Health Pharma Solutions España, SA, 2009.

- Silva EA, Pinto GV, Sampaio C. Pereira J. Drummond M. Trindade R. - Orientações metodológicas para estudos de avaliação económica de medicamentos. Lisboa: Ministério da Saúde, Infarmed, 1999.

- Artigos de implementação das várias técnicas de avaliação económica em saúde.