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Adherence to country-specific guidelines among economic evaluations undertaken in three high-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2021

Deepshikha Sharma ,
Arun Kumar Aggarwal ,
Thomas Wilkinson ,
Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai ,
Akashdeep Singh Chauhan  and
Shankar Prinja Open the ORCID record for Shankar Prinja [Opens in a new window]
Deepshikha Sharma
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh160047, India
Arun Kumar Aggarwal
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh160047, India
Thomas Wilkinson
Affiliation:
Health Economics Unit, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai
Affiliation:
Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program, Bangkok, Thailand Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Akashdeep Singh Chauhan
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh160047, India
Shankar Prinja*
Affiliation:
Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh160047, India
*
Author for correspondence: Shankar Prinja, E-mail: shankarprinja@gmail.com
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Abstract

Objective

To assess the adherence of economic evaluations to the recommendations on principles of economic evaluation as stated in the country-specific guidelines for three countries across different income groups, namely, Canada, South Africa, and Egypt.

Methods

Searches were undertaken in three databases to identify economic evaluations meeting predefined inclusion criteria. Methodological and reporting standards listed in the country-specific guidelines were converted into discrete binary variables to calculate mean adherence scores. Quality appraisal was done using Drummond's checklist. Stratified analysis was undertaken to identify independent variables affecting adherence.

Results

We identified forty-four, seventy-nine, and sixteen economic evaluations for Canada, South Africa, and Egypt, respectively. The mean adherence score was the highest for Canada (71%), followed by South Africa (65%) and Egypt (60%). Adherence to guidelines was positively correlated with quality of studies, r = .72. Furthermore, the mean adherence score was significantly (p < .05) higher for studies using a cost-utility analysis design (72%), having local/national funding aid (72%), undertaken by a health economist (71%) and for pharmacoeconomic evaluations (70%).

Conclusion

The quality of economic evaluations improves with adherence to country-specific guidelines. Locally funded and health-economist led health technology assessments (HTAs) should be encouraged for greater adherence to the guidelines. The HTA researchers and the HTA bodies should lay emphasis on adherence to the country-specific guidelines for improving the quality of HTA evidence.

Keywords

Economic evaluationHealth technology assessmentPharmacoeconomicsGuidelinesSystematic review
Type
Assessment
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , 2021 , e73
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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