title: [Economic evaluation of interventions for infectious diseases in Spain: systematic review and comparative analysis].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There exists the need to evaluate interventions addressed to prevent, control and reduce the burden of the infectious diseases; being economic evaluation an instrument can help to allocate healthcare resources efficiently. In this context, we assessed the evolution of economic evaluation of interventions for infectious diseases published in Spain, as well as we compared their main methodological characteristics with those of the studies directed to other diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic review and comparative analysis calculating odds ratios (OR). Electronic searches for literature beetwen 1983 and 2008 were conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, SCOPUS, ISI Web of Knowledge, CRD, IME e IBECS, and manually in specialized journals and technical reports. The following variables were identified to analyze the characteristics of the reports: journal and year of publication, intervention, type of study, design, perspective, type of costs, financing source, and decision-making recommendations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One-hundred and one studies were included in the review. The main characteristics of the reports were: cost-effectiveness analysis (n=56; 55.4%), treatments evaluations (n=60; 59.4%) and the use of decision analysis and mathematical simulation models (n=63; 62.4%). Economic evaluation studies of infectious diseases showed the following associations (compared to a cohort of studies of other disease conditions [n=376]): cost-benefit analysis (OR, 3.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.63 to 7.74), prevention (OR, 4.14; 95% CI, 2.49 to 6.90), and societal perspective (OR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.43 to 4.56).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although there is an increase in the number of economic evaluations of infectious diseases published during last decades, the studies showed heterogeneity in the quality of the information regarding methods of analysis and data sources.
authors.affiliation: Centro Superior de Investigación en Salud Pública, Valencia, Spain. ferran_catala@hotmail.com
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Catalá-López
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García-Altés
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Martín
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Génova-Maleras
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morant-Ginestar
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D016017:Odds Ratio; D013030:Spain