Table 2.

Protocol template.

Item	Detail required or examples
Population and setting	Country/region
	Sub-groups of patients with stroke
	Organisational structure (private/public)
	Care pathways
Research question	E.g. To determine/estimate the cost-effectiveness of intervention compared to comparator/control group
Outcomes	The outcome that is used for the cost-effectiveness measure
	Questionnaire used to estimate quality of life
Treatment groups	Intervention groups
	Comparator/control groups
Perspective	Health service
	Patient
	Societal
	Direct/indirect
Study design / data source	Alongside RCT
	Model-based economic evaluations using data from multiple sources
Economic study design	Cost benefit
	Cost effectiveness
	Cost utility
	Budget impact analysis
Economic model	E.g. Model assumptions, model name and reference in literature
Reference year	E.g. Year and inflation/deflation. Source for adjusting costs
Time horizon	Assumptions made for modelling longer-term costs and outcomes
Discounting	Nationally recommended – usually 3% or 5%
Resource use collected	E.g. Hospital readmissions, family physician contacts• Delivery of the intervention and justification for inclusion• If used, the method of estimating resource use based on clinical or demographic details of participants and the reference in literature
Data collection methods	Administrative data
	Patient self-report via survey
Sub-group analysis	Stroke type
	Hospital type (private/public)
Sensitivity analysis	Monte Carlo simulation (multivariable)
	One-way sensitivity
	Scenario analysis
Funder	Government
	Industry
	Private insurance