title: A systematic review of scope and quality of health economic evaluation studies in Vietnam.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The application of health economic evaluation (HEE) evidence can play an important role in strategic planning and policy making. This study aimed to assess the scope and quality of existing research, with the goal of elucidating implications for improving the use of HEE evidence in Vietnam.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comprehensive search strategy was developed to search medical online databases (Medline, Google Scholar, and Vietnam Medical Databases) to select all types of HEE studies except cost-only analyses. Two researchers assessed the quality of selected studies using the Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) instrument.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We selected 26 studies, including 6 published in Vietnam. The majority of these studies focused on infectious diseases (14 studies), with HIV being the most common topic (5 studies). Most papers were cost-effectiveness studies that measured health outcomes using DALY units. Using QHES, we found that the overall quality of HEE studies published internationally was much higher (mean score 88.7+13.3) than that of those published in Vietnam (mean score 67.3+22.9). Lack of costing perspectives, reliable data sources and sensitivity analysis were the main shortcomings of the reviewed studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This review indicates that HEE studies published in Vietnam are limited in scope and number, as well as by several important technical errors or omissions. It is necessary to formalize the process of health economic research in Vietnam and to institutionalize the links between researchers and policy-makers. Additionally, the quality of HEE should be enhanced through education about research techniques, and the implementation of standard HEE guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America; Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Bach Xuan
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.affiliation: Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Vuong Minh
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Nong
authors.affiliation: Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Rachel Marie
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Maher
authors.affiliation: Health Strategy and Policy Institute, Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Phuong Khanh
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Hoat Ngoc
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Luu
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004470:Economics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D011050:Policy Making; D014744:Vietnam