During several years of teaching critical appraisal at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, I have used a modification of number needed to treat (NNT). The COPE—the Cost of Preventing an Event—is a “back-of-the-envelope,” user-friendly, cost-effectiveness analysis for clinicians and policymakers.
Economic evaluations can be defined as the “comparative analysis of alternative courses of action in terms of both their costs and their consequences” (1). These analyses can be complex and sensitive to particular population groups and health systems and are often unavailable for clinicians (especially in developing nations). Traditionally, economists have used 1 of 5 methods for economic analysis: ...
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