|
| Approaches | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|
| Prevalence | Frequency measure
It evaluates all existing cases in a given period | Ample results
Specific policy planning
Fast study and recommended for chronic diseases | Considered weak at estimating the risk of developing disease |
| Incidence | Frequency measure
Assesses the number of new cases in a given period | Implementation of measures to reduce new cases
It is used more for acute diseases, since it estimates the risk of developing the disease | Not recommended for chronic diseases |
| Top-down | It measures the proportion of a disease attributed to several risk factors. It involves a study directed from total to lower levels | When the scope of study is well understood | More comprehensive, it hampers the study on the details of the disease |
| Bottom-up | Related to the unit costs of inputs used. It involves the study directed from individual levels to the total. | More detailed | Risk of double counting |
| Prospective | Temporal study, performed during disease. Probes the effect through the cause | Used in chronic diseases | Time-consuming and expensive |
| Retrospective | Temporal study performed with preexisting data.
Probes the cause through the effect | Quick and cheaper | Risk of memory bias |
| Econometric | Comparison of groups | Minor amount of data required
Cost difference between the two populations | Long study, requiring that the control group be paired to the study group |
| Markov models | Stochastic process
Used in prospective studies. Patients stratified in stages of disease | Dynamic model aiming at studying the transition from one stage to another, evaluating the costs of each step | Transition of stages is independent, without considering the previous one |
|
