Standards of Evidence for Conducting and Reporting Economic Evaluations in Prevention Science

• DOI: 10.1007/s11121-017-0858-1
• Publication Date: 2018-02-10T07:44:22Z
• Authors: D. Max Crowley; Kenneth A. Dodge; W. Steven Barnett; Phaedra Corso; Sarah Duffy; Phillip Graham; Mark Greenberg; Ron Haskins; Laura Hill; Damon E. Jones; Lynn A. Karoly; Margaret R. Kukli...; Robert Plotnick
• Keywords: Research Report; Consensus; 330; Cost-Benefit Analysis; 05 social sciences; Article; 3. Good health; Research Report - standards; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Evidence-Based Practice; Preventive Medicine - economics; 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences; Preventive Medicine; Policy Making

Over a decade ago, the Society for Prevention Research endorsed the first standards of evidence for research in preventive interventions. The growing recognition of the need to use limited resources to make sound investments in prevention led the Board of Directors to charge a new task force to set standards for research in analysis of the economic impact of preventive interventions. This article reports the findings of this group's deliberations, proposes standards for economic analyses, and identifies opportunities for future prevention science. Through examples, policymakers' need and use of economic analysis are described. Standards are proposed for framing economic analysis, estimating costs of prevention programs, estimating benefits of prevention programs, implementing summary metrics, handling uncertainty in estimates, and reporting findings. Topics for research in economic analysis are identified. The SPR Board of Directors endorses the "Standards of Evidence for Conducting and Reporting Economic Evaluations in Prevention Science."