Alton 2006

Appraisal of: Alton V, Eckerlund I, Norlund A. Health economic evaluations: how to find them. Int J Technol Assess Health Care 2006; 22(4):512-517.

Reviewer(s):

David Kaunelis

Full Reference:

Alton V, Eckerlund I, Norlund A. Health economic evaluations: how to find them. Int J Technol Assess Health Care 2006; 22(4):512-517.

Short description:

This article investigates databases and search terms to retrieve the most relevant published health economic evaluation studies. The authors searched six bibliographic databases (NHS EED via Cochrane Library and via CRD; PubMed; Embase, EconLit, SciSearch via DialogClassic; and HEED on CD-ROM) using various search strategies. Searching NHS EED plus PubMed was determined to be the best approach. PubMed did not consistently index cost-effectiveness studies, so a combination of the MeSH “Costs and Cost Analysis”, the MeSH subheading “Economics”, and text words were used in the filter.

Limitations stated by the author(s):

This is a case study where approaches were tested for only one topic area: diagnosing GERD. Economic evaluations retrieved that were irrelevant to this topic were excluded. Studies weren’t assessed for quality and internal validity as it was beyond the scope.

Limitations stated by the reviewer(s):

The detailed search strategies and date limits are not published in the article; readers are referred to the SBU website. MeSH terms and text words are suggested, but not rigorously or individually tested.

Study Type:

Single study

Related Chapters:

Costs and economic evaluation

Supplemental publications to the study:

[Health economy assessments--how to find them].

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