45-60 minutes

What you can expect to learn (learning outcomes)

This module will teach you to:

• Define economic theory
• Understand what is cost in an economic evaluation
• Differentiate 'up-front' and 'downstream' costs
• Identify factors of resource use relevant to decision making
• Understand the role and relevance of economic evidence in Cochrane Intervention Reviews

Authors, contributors, and how to cite this module

Module 9 has been written and compiled by:

Luke Vale and Patricia Aluko, Health Economics Group, Newcastle University, UK.

Ian Shemilt, University College London, UK.

Dario Sambunjak, Miranda Cumpston and Chris Watts, Cochrane Central Executive Team..

A full list of acknowledgements, including our expert advisors from across Cochrane, is available at the end of each module page.

This module should be cited as: Vale L, Aluko P, Shemilt I, Sambunjak D, Cumpston M, Watts C. Module 9: Introduction to health economics. In: Cochrane Interactive Learning: Conducting an intervention review. Cochrane, 2017. Available from https://training.cochrane.org/interactivelearning/module-9-introduction-health-economics.

Update and feedback

The module was last updated on September 2022.

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