Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40293688›Full record

SynthesisPharmacoEconomics2025

Under-reporting of Validation Efforts for Health Economic Models Persists Despite the Availability of Validation Tools: A Systematic Review.

Katharina Abraham, Isaac Corro Ramos, C Louwrens Braal, Talitha Feenstra, Anne Kleijburg, George A K van Voorn, Carin Uyl-de Groot

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PharmacoEconomics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Katharina AbrahamErasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management, Rotterdam, South Holland, The Netherlands. abraham@eshpm.eur.nl.ORCID 0009-0008-0869-4920
Isaac Corro RamosInstitute for Medical Technology Assessment (iMTA), EUR, Rotterdam, South Holland, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-1294-8187
C Louwrens BraalDepartment of Medical Oncology, Erasmus University MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-3600-9851
Talitha FeenstraFaculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, Groningen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-5788-0454
Anne KleijburgDepartment of Health Services Research, CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-6223-3027
George A K van VoornApplied Mathematics and Statistics/Biometrics, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-1369-3964
Carin Uyl-de GrootErasmus School of Health Policy and Management, EUR, Rotterdam, South Holland, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5808-302X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveIn this study we aimed to identify possible changes over time in validation efforts and the way in which they are reported for model-based health economic (HE) evaluations, given the introduction of several new validation tools and methods in the past decade.

methodsA systematic review was conducted using PubMed and Embase on published HE models for early breast cancer (EBC) for the period 2016 to 2024. AdViSHE-consisting of four validation categories that cover the main HE model aspects-was utilized to systematically evaluate the reported evaluation efforts. The percentage of studies reporting validation per category was compared with the review by de Boer et al. that covers the years 2008 to 2015.

resultsOf the 2199 records, 78 studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Reported validation efforts did not significantly improve compared with the previous period, except for the validation of input data by experts. Reporting on the validation of the conceptual model remained low with around 10% of the studies providing validation. Validation of the computerized model and validation against outcomes using alternative input data were the most underreported validation categories with < 4% of the studies. The validation of model outcomes, specifically cross validity and the comparison with empirical data, remained the most reported categories in this review also, with 52% and 36%, respectively. When validation efforts were reported, this was done in a non-systematic manner, and the tests and results were rarely detailed.

conclusionOverall reporting of validation efforts for model-based HE evaluations in the past decade did not significantly change compared with the previous decade.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsEconomics, MedicalModels, EconomicCost-Benefit AnalysisFemaleHumansReproducibility of ResultsValidation Studies as Topic

Identifiers

PMID40293688
PMCPMC12255658

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.