Table 3.
Quality assessment of included studies: number of studies fulfilling the items of the Drummond and Jefferson/British Medical Journal checklist( 28 , 31 )
| Number of studies | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item | Yes | Partly | No | ? | NA |
| Study design | |||||
| 1. The research question is stated | 12 | 2 | |||
| 2. The economic importance of the research question is stated | 6 | 8 | |||
| 3. The viewpoint/s of the analysis is/are clearly stated and justified | 10 | 4 | |||
| 4. The rationale for choosing the alternative programmes or interventions compared is stated | 13 | 1 | |||
| 5. The alternatives being compared are clearly described | 14 | ||||
| 6. The form of economic evaluation used is stated | 12 | 2 | |||
| 7. The choice of form of economic evaluation is justified in relation to the questions addressed | 2 | 12 | |||
| Data collection | |||||
| 8. The source/s of effectiveness estimates used is/are stated | 13 | 1 | |||
| 9. Details of the design and results of effectiveness study are given (if based on a single study) | 12 | 2 | |||
| 10. Details of the method of synthesis or meta-analysis of estimates are given (if based on an overview of a number of effectiveness studies) | 13 | 1 | |||
| 11. The primary outcome measure/s for the economic evaluation is/are clearly stated | 11 | 3 | |||
| 12. Methods to value health states and other benefits are stated | 1 | 10 | 3 | ||
| 13. Details of the subjects from whom valuations were obtained are given | 1 | 10 | 3 | ||
| 14. Productivity changes (if included) are reported separately | 2 | 12 | |||
| 15. The relevance of productivity changes to the study question is discussed | 2 | 12 | |||
| 16. Quantities of resources are reported separately from their unit costs | 6 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 17. Methods for the estimation of quantities and unit costs are described | 10 | 4 | |||
| 18. Currency and price data are recorded | 14 | ||||
| 19. Details of currency of price adjustments for inflation or currency conversion are given | 12 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 20. Details of any model used are given | 10 | 4 | |||
| 21. The choice of model used and the key parameters on which it is based are justified | 8 | 6 | |||
| Analysis and interpretation of results | |||||
| 22. Time horizon of costs and benefits is stated | 14 | ||||
| 23. The discount rate/s is/are stated | 13 | 1 | |||
| 24. The choice of rate/s is/are justified | 7 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 25. An explanation is given if costs or benefits are not discounted | 1 | 13 | |||
| 26. Details of statistical tests and confidence intervals are given for stochastic data | 9 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 27. The approach to sensitivity analysis is given | 11 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 28. The choice of variables for sensitivity analysis is justified | 8 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 29. The ranges over which the variables are varied are stated | 10 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 30. Relevant alternatives are compared | 14 | ||||
| 31. Incremental analysis is reported | 14 | ||||
| 32. Major outcomes are presented in a disaggregated as well as aggregated form | 9 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 33. The answer to the study question is given | 14 | ||||
| 34. Conclusions follow from the data reported | 12 | 2 | |||
| 35. Conclusions are accompanied by the appropriate caveats | 10 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 36. Generalizability issues are addressed | 2 | 2 | 9 | 1 | |
?, not clear; NA, not appropriate.