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KCE ProcessBook

Literature review of economic evaluations

Summary

A literature review of economic evaluations can have three different objectives at KCE:
  1. To get a(n) (rough) idea of the cost-effectiveness of an intervention
  2. To identify variables and parameters to include in a to-be-developed Belgian economic evaluation
  3. To identify variables that need to be measured in the context of a KCE Trial to allow for a subsequent economic evaluation
The current guidance relates to the first objective only.

Tools

Three tools can support the researcher in its review. 
  1. A literature search strategy: A template has been created for all cost and cost-effectiveness related searches in different databases. It can be found here.
  2. A checklist for assessment of the quality of published economic evaluations : A reporting checklist can be used to assess whether all relevant information related to an economic evaluation has been reported.
    Appendix 3 of the Belgian Guidelines for Economic Evaluations and Budget Impact Analyses: Third Edition provides a checklist that can be used. The checklists do not have to be reported in the final KCE report but should be considered as a supporting tool for the reviewer. 
  3. A data extraction sheet: A data extraction sheet is a working document that can be used when extracting relevant information from published economic evaluations. This is a working document that can be used to prepare overview tables for e.g. the input used in these economic evaluations. It can support the critical assessment of existing literature.
    An example of a data extraction sheet is given in Appendix 4 of the Belgian Guidelines for Economic Evaluations and Budget Impact Analyses: Third Edition.

Files

  • Template for all cost and cost-effectiveness related literature searches in different databases (XLSX, KB)
  • Checklist for assessment of the quality of published economic evaluations, in Neyt Mattias, Thiry Nancy, Cleemput Irina. Belgian guidelines for economic evaluations and budget impact analyses: third edition. Methods. Brussels. Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE). 2025. KCE Reports 400C. Appendix 3; p. 88-89. (PDF, 149 p., 2,21 MB)
  • Data extraction sheet, in Neyt Mattias, Thiry Nancy, Cleemput Irina. Belgian guidelines for economic evaluations and budget impact analyses: third edition. Methods. Brussels. Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE). 2025. KCE Reports 400C. Appendix 4; p. 90 (PDF, 149 p., 2,21 MB)