> A satellite workshop on principles of health economics and how they can be
> applied in systematic reviews will be held at the Colloquium in Cape Town.
> Registration forms for the session can be obtained from the following
> website http://www.mrc.ac.za/cochranesat/ and should be submitted
> electronically or faxed to Ms Charleen Daries at +27 21 938-0395.
>
> The workshop will be held on Tuesday 24th 2pm -5pm and Wed 25th 9am - 1pm
>
> This workshop is designed to provide an introduction to economic
> techniques and to show how they can be applied to economic evaluations
> that are based on Cochrane reviews. It is an opportunity for those with an
> interest in using health economics but with an only limited experience to
> move from the first principles of economic evaluation to practical
> application of the techniques. The workshop will be given by Cam
> Donaldson, Professor, Departments of Community Health Sciences and
> Economics. University of Calgary, Luke Vale, Research Fellow, Health
> Economics Research Unit and Health Services Research Unit, University of
> Aberdeen.
> This workshop would be divided into four main sessions:
> Health economics. What is it? Why do we need it?
> In this lecture, some basic principles of economics will be outlined. It
> will be shown that these principles provide a basis for a decision
> framework for health policy making. The usefulness of the principles and
> the framework would be illustrated by use of case studies of the costs and
> benefits of health interventions. As any economic evaluation is made up of
> a 'cost side' and a 'benefit side', it is important to consider the
> methods used in each.
> Identifying, measuring and valuing costs
> What costs are we interested in? How might they be measured and valued?
> These questions can be addressed with reference to the principles outlined
> in the first session. Some pitfalls in measurement and valuation will also
> be outlined. One challenge is how to account for costs (and benefits)
> arising at different points in time. Methods of doing this would be
> outlined. Another challenge is how to deal with uncertainty in estimates
> of cost (and benefit). This is done by use of sensitivity analysis, which
> would also be described.
> Identifying measuring and valuing benefits
> What do we mean by 'benefits' in health and health care? One such
> definition is that benefits of care involve some combination of length and
> quality of life, which has led to the development of the quality adjusted
> life year (QALY). Here, we would describe how QALYs are constructed. Other
> methods of valuing benefits (conjoint analysis and willingness to pay)
> which allow for preferences beyond QALYs (e.g. where services should be
> located) would also be outlined.
> Case studies of economic evaluations alongside systematic review
> In this session, the group will be given details about a systematic review
> and will design an economic evaluation alongside the review. Later in the
> session, we will refer to actual studies which have taken place in similar
> areas. This session would illustrate pitfalls and problems in undertaking
> such economic evaluations and in using the results.
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