TABLE 4.

Key study components

Components	Contents
Populatio	Define the size and key demographic, geographic, or socioeconomic characteristics of the study population: Characteristics include age, gender, income status, and where people live. Clarify if people are directly affected or indirectly affected by the health emergency or disaster: Directly affected people include those who have suffered injury, illness, or other health effects; who were evacuated, displaced, or relocated, or have suffered direct damage to their livelihoods, economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets. 43 Indirectly affected people include those who have suffered consequences other than or in addition to direct effects, over time. These may be due to disruption or changes in economy, critical infrastructure, basic services, commerce, or work, and include social, health, and psychological consequences. 43
Event/Intervention	For economic impact studies: Define the specific past, current, or potential intervention or health emergency/disaster which is being examined. For economic evaluations: Define the specific programme or policy implemented to influence the impacts of a past, current, or potential health emergency or disaster.
Comparison	For economic impact studies: For a past, current, or potential event, define the status quo to which it is compared. For economic evaluations: Specify the alternative course of action, which may be no action, to which the programme or policy is compared.
Costs and consequences	Choose the set of costs and consequences that the study will measure (the “perspective”). This decision should account the amount of time/effort available to complete the study and the intended study audience. Payer perspectives focus specifically on costs and consequences linked to using (and paying for) healthcare. Medical costs and consequences may include: payments for access to care, medical supply costs, salaries for health workers, and expected future healthcare costs. Non‐medical costs and consequences may include: spending on transport, accommodation, and food by individuals receiving care, and informal nursing care provided by their families. Societal perspectives focus on a broader set of costs and consequences for society. Consequences may include impacts on: economic consumption, employment, and financial stability. Costs and consequences linked to healthcare use are still accounted for.

This article is being made freely available through PubMed Central as part of the COVID-19 public health emergency response. It can be used for unrestricted research re-use and analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source, for the duration of the public health emergency.