ACTA HEAT webinar: Applying the net benefit framework in trial-based cost-effectiveness analysis: a case study in arthroplasty prophylaxis

In this webinar, A/Prof An Duy Tran will discuss the principles of trial-based cost-effectiveness analysis and the challenges associated with the use of incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs), including the representation and interpretation of uncertainty. He will then provide an overview of the net benefit framework as an alternative approach for analysing uncertainty and informing decision-making in economic evaluation.

The webinar will illustrate the application of the net benefit framework through an economic evaluation of adding vancomycin to cefazolin prophylaxis for the prevention of surgical site infections in patients undergoing arthroplasty. The case study suggests that omitting vancomycin from cefazolin prophylaxis could generate substantial cost savings for the healthcare system while maintaining comparable clinical outcomes and health-related quality of life. The webinar will also briefly discuss the limitations of trial-based economic evaluations in capturing the broader costs of antimicrobial resistance, and the potential role of modelling approaches in addressing this challenge.

Presenter

A/Prof An Duy Tran leads the Health Economics Node within the Methods and Implementation Support for Clinical and Health Research (MISCH) Hub at the University of Melbourne. He is also Head of the Health Economics and Simulation Modelling Unit at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. He has extensive experience in the design and conduct of trial-based economic evaluations across a wide range of clinical areas, as well as in the development of simulation models to inform healthcare decision-making. He has led and contributed to publications in leading international journals, including Value in Health, The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, and Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.