Table 1 Main characteristics of the reviewed studies

Type of study

Cost-effectiveness analysis (70%)

Cost-Utility Analysis (30%)

Type of journal

Statistics/Econometrics (7%)

Health Economics (19%)

Health Services (30%)

Medical (39%)

Working Paper (5%)

Year of publication

1990 – 2000 (14%)

2001 – 2010 (86%)

Type of intervention

Surgical (37%)

Medical (33%)

Rehabilitation (5%)

Public Health Policy (14%)

Diagnostic (2%)

Preventative (9%)

Number of interventions

Two (74%)

Three or more (26%)

Sample size

100 – 1000 (33%)

1001 – 5000 (29%)

5001+ (33%)

Not reported (5%)

Summary outcome

None (35%)

Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (51%)

Net Benefit (14%)

Evaluation of uncertainty on summary outcome

Yes (43%)

No (6%)

Partial/Unclear (51%)

Method addressing selection bias

Regression Analysis (28%)

Covariate Matching (7%)

Propensity Scores (49%)

Instrumental Variables (7%)

Difference-in-Differences (9%)

Assessment of methods’ assumptions

Detailed (9%)

Partial or None (91%)

Comparison of analytical methods

Yes (23%)

No (77%)

Effort to contrast findings with other studies

Yes (47%)

No (53%)