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Last modified: 29 May 2026 14:46
This course is taken by students enrolled on Health Economics for Health Professionals (MSc/PGDip/PGCert). It is concerned with practical issues in the design and conduct of economic evaluation of health care interventions. It covers the principles of the two most common approaches to economic evaluation – using individual patient data collected alongside a randomised controlled trial, and the use of decision modelling to synthesis data from a number of secondary sources. The course highlights the strengths and limitations of each approach, and emphasises their complimentary nature for informing value based health care decision making.
| Study Type | Postgraduate | Level | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 0 credits (0 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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This course considers how to identify the relevant costs and consequences for inclusion in an economic evaluation of competing health care interventions and introduces the alternative approaches for assessing and comparing these: 1) using individual patient data collected alongside a randomised controlled trial; and 2) using decision analytic modelling to synthesis data and evidence from a number of different sources. It goes on to consider how the results of health care economic evaluations should be appraised and interpreted to help inform the efficient allocation of scarce health care resources. Teaching and learning for this course involves a combination of recorded audio PowerPoint presentations, online tutorials, self-study (with guiding commentaries), practical exercises, use of discussion boards, and staged assignments.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Self-assessed MCQ including calculation tests with unlimited attempts. Correct answers will be provided at the end of the submission with a brief description of the justification. Once opened, the test will be open throughout the delivery of the course. Feedback on the test will be automatic after each submission of the test. In addition, a discussion board will be set up for the course, be open throughout the course, and monitored regularly by a staff member. Students will be encouraged to engage in the discussion board for further clarification of any of the concepts from the formative test and any concepts of the course. This test is formatively assessed; students will receive only achieved or not achieved for this course. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Identify the resource use events (costs) and benefits that should be included, from a range of different perspectives, in the economic evaluation of alternative health care interventions. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Discuss the common limitations of RCTs as a vehicle for the economic evaluation of health care interventions. |
| Procedural | Create | Inform the design of an economic evaluation based on cost and outcome data collected alongside a randomised controlled trial of alternative health care interventions. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Interpret and assess the robustness of the results of an economic evaluation for the purpose of informing policy and practice in health care. |
| Reflection | Apply | Demonstrate a working knowledge of how simple decision models can be developed and implemented in Microsoft Excel. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Articulate a conceptual understating of how decision modelling can be used to overcome the limitations of RCTs for the purpose of economic evaluation. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Identify the resource use events (costs) and benefits that should be included, from a range of different perspectives, in the economic evaluation of alternative health care interventions. |
| Procedural | Create | Inform the design of an economic evaluation based on cost and outcome data collected alongside a randomised controlled trial of alternative health care interventions. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Discuss the common limitations of RCTs as a vehicle for the economic evaluation of health care interventions. |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Articulate a conceptual understating of how decision modelling can be used to overcome the limitations of RCTs for the purpose of economic evaluation. |
| Reflection | Apply | Demonstrate a working knowledge of how simple decision models can be developed and implemented in Microsoft Excel. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Interpret and assess the robustness of the results of an economic evaluation for the purpose of informing policy and practice in health care. |
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