Economic Evaluations and Diagnostic Testing: an illustrative case study approach

Sabina Sanghera, Rosa Orlando, Tracy Roberts

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)
518 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to present a clear process of synthesizing test accuracy data when conducting economic evaluations of diagnostic tests for health technology assessment (HTA) assessors and health economists.
Methods: We appraised the methods advocated for using diagnostic test accuracy data in economic evaluations. We used a case study of fetal anemia in which data from a screening test are used in combination with a confirmatory test.
Results: We developed a step-by-step guide and consider two scenarios: when data on test accuracy from several studies are based on (i) the same test threshold for positivity and (ii) different test thresholds.
Conclusions: We conclude that each approach has its strengths and limitations. We show that the optimal operating point of the test should be identified to determine the true cost-effectiveness of the test. We advocate that these issues require a multidisciplinary team of health economists, decision modelers and statisticians.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)53-60
Number of pages8
JournalInternational Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care
Volume29
Issue number01
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2013

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