CCHE Seminar: Petros Pechlivanoglou, Sick Kids, University of Toronto

Student Workshop: Decision Modeling in R

Economic evaluations often rely on decision analytical models (DAMs). These models are becoming increasingly more complex to better represent the underlying clinical conditions and to provide more and better insight to decision makers. In addition, advanced statistical and mathematical methodologies are being introduced within the context of decision analytic modelling (e.g., value of information, calibration, evidence synthesis). Current commercially available software sometimes provides limited flexibility to embed such statistical methods within a decision modelling framework. Finally, model transparency may be compromised, given the “black box” nature of some of the existing software.

R is a free software in which statistical analyses (e.g., survival/regression analysis, Bayesian network meta-analysis) and decision analytical modelling can be combined within a single framework. That facilitates, among others, more appropriate incorporation of parameter and model uncertainty in decision modelling. Finally, the fact that R is freely available may facilitate model transparency and reproducibility. The workshop will provide an overview of the decision modeling capabilities of R, will present available tools for model building in R, showcase how to build a simple decision model in R and offer examples of more complex, R-built decision models.

Petros Pechlivanoglou, PhD, is a Scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Research Institute and an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. His research focuses on the use of decision analysis in health economics; bridging evidence synthesis, administrative data predictive modeling and decision analysis. He is part of CIHR funded networks aimed to study 1) the economics of preterm birth and preterm birth prevention 2) the use of Bayesian decision analysis in pediatric clinical-trial design and 3) the estimation of empirical cost-effectiveness thresholds in cancer. He has also received funding from the Canadian Respiratory Research Network to develop predictions of the clinical and economic impact of COPD in adults and from Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) to evaluate, using decision analysis, the value-for-money of novel therapies in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Petros obtained his MSc in Econometrics and his PhD in Health Econometrics from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

CCHE Seminar Series 2017/18 – Full Schedule

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