Patient heterogeneity: comparing individual-level and cohort models
A PharmacoEconomics study explores how differences between patients affect health economic simulation outcomes.
Updated
Evelien B. van Well, Tim M. Govers and Hendrik Koffijberg co-authored a study in PharmacoEconomics comparing individual-level and cohort simulations.
What the study examined
The researchers used the same model structure to explore how variation in age and sex affected costs, health outcomes and net monetary benefit. They also examined age-dependent mortality.
Patient heterogeneity affected the outcomes of the two approaches differently. Differences in the treatment-effect scenarios did not change the cost-effectiveness conclusions. Age-dependent mortality highlighted a need for care when representing a population through average characteristics.
What this means for modelling
The findings do not establish that one model type is always better. The appropriate level of detail depends on the decision, relevant patient differences and the evidence available.
For Medip Analytics, the study supports careful consideration of patient characteristics when designing and interpreting health economic models.