title: Economic evaluations in pain management: principles and methods.
abstract: This paper describes how investigators may design, conduct, and report economic evaluations of pharmacotherapy for pain and symptom management. Because economic evaluation of therapeutic interventions is becoming increasingly important, there is a need for guidance on how economic evaluations can be optimally conducted. The steps required to conduct an economic evaluation are described to provide this guidance. Economic evaluations require two or more therapeutic interventions to be compared in relation to costs and effects. There are five types of economic evaluations, based on analysis of: (1) cost-effectiveness, (2) cost-utility, (3) cost-minimization, (4) cost-consequence, and (5) cost-benefit analyses. The six required steps are: identify the perspective of the study; identify the alternatives that will be compared; identify the relevant costs and effects; determine how to collect the cost and effect data; determine how to perform calculation for cost and effects data; and determine the manner in which to depict the results and draw comparisons.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center, Department of Pharmacotherapy, University of Utah College of Pharmacy, 421 Wakara Way, Suite 208, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA. carl.asche@pharm.utah.edu
authors.forename: Carl V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Asche
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seal
authors.forename: Kenneth C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Gary M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Oderda
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics*; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design