Trial-based economic evaluations in occupational health: principles, methods, and recommendations.
To allocate available resources as efficiently as possible, decision makers need information on the relative economic merits of occupational health and safety (OHS) interventions. Economic evaluations can provide this information by comparing the costs and consequences of alternatives. Nevertheless, only a few of the studies that consider the effectiveness of OHS interventions take the extra step of considering their resource implications. Moreover, the methodological quality of those that do is generally poor. Therefore, this study aims to help occupational health researchers conduct high-quality trial-based economic evaluations by discussing the theory and methodology that underlie them, and by providing recommendations for good practice regarding their design, analysis, and reporting. This study also helps consumers of this literature with understanding and critically appraising trial-based economic evaluations of OHS interventions.
From the Department of Health Sciences and the EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research (Ms van Dongen, Dr van Wier, Prof Dr van Tulder, and Dr Bosmans), Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam; Department of Public and Occupational Health and the EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research (Ms van Dongen and Profs Drs Bongers and van der Beek), VU University Medical Center; Body@Work, Research Center for Physical Activity, Work and Health (Ms van Dongen, Dr van Wier, and Profs Drs Bongers, van der Beek, and van Tulder), TNO-VU University Medical Center; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research (Dr van Wier and Prof Dr van Tulder), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Institute for Work & Health, Toronto (Dr Tompa), Department of Economics (Dr Tompa), McMaster University, Hamilton; Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Dr Tompa), University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and TNO Healthy Living (Prof Dr Bongers), Hoofddorp, the Netherlands.
Johanna M
JM
van Dongen
Marieke F
MF
van Wier
Emile
E
Tompa
Paulien M
PM
Bongers
Allard J
AJ
van der Beek
Maurits W
MW
van Tulder
Judith E
JE
Bosmans
D000041:Absenteeism; D019985:Benchmarking; D057186:Comparative Effectiveness Research / Q000458:organization & administration; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000191:economics; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D057194:Intention to Treat Analysis; D016272:Occupational Health; D064792:Pragmatic Clinical Trials as Topic; D015895:Relative Value Scales; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000191:economics