Economic studies part 2: evaluating the quality.

There are many opportunities for bias in economic evaluations. Thus, critical appraisal of economic studies is very important but complex. No standard methodology for appraisal has been universally adopted. However, consideration of the common elements that constitute a high-quality economic study provides the clinician with the tools to understand when one might be dealing with a high-quality study, a deeply flawed one, or one that made the best use of the data available. Studies of economic impact have become increasingly important in health policy decisions given the finite resources available for health care. While they should not be the sole basis of decision making, such studies provide potentially valuable information if well done. It is therefore important that high-quality economic studies be conducted and the results of economic studies be placed in the context of their quality. Learn more about economic evaluation Drummond MF, Sculpher MJ, Torrance GW, O'Brien BJ, Stoddart GL. Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Health Care Programs. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2005 What is an economic evaluation? Introduction to Economic Evaluation. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/owcd/EET/SeriesIntroduction/1.html Health Economics Information Resources. A self-study course. National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR). Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr/edu/healthecon/beginningend.pdf Boos N. The impact of economic evaluation on quality management in spine surgery. Eur Spine J 2009;18(Suppl 3):338–347 Holtz A, Nelson HD, Reid E. Our questions, our decisions: standards for patient-centered outcomes research. Preliminary Draft Methodology Report; PCORI Methodology Committee; Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute 2012; Available at: http://www.pcori.org/assets/Preliminary-Draft-Methodology-Report.pdf Funding This article was funded by AOSpine.