Economic Analysis Uncertainties

Was an appropriate allowance made for uncertainties in the analysis?

This reflects the fact that in any CEA, it is not possible to measure all costs and outcomes and estimates are used. In clinical research we look at the standard error of the mean as a method of estimating how close a sample statistic is to the population mean.

With any form of research, the underlying methodology is base on assumptive foundations, concerning, amongst other things, cost, mortality rates and probabilities. If one performs a CEA, this is peculiar to only one set of circumstances, and may not hold for a different set.

Consequently, it appears essential to perform a sensitivity analysis of the data, by varying the underlying assumptions and seeing how the ratios and comparative cost-effectiveness varies with this action. The sensitivity analysis strengthens the case for the results on a societal basis.

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