PURPOSE: The objective for the workshop is to discuss the value of vaccination and alternative methods of economic evaluation for vaccination programs. There are multiple agents whose decisions impinge upon or determine the size and scope of vaccination programs, including those responsible for determining the size of the health sector budget, those responsible for allocating that budget to different health programs, and those providing funding for the promotion and protection of health in low-income countries. These decision makers need economic analyses that are consistent with these different decision contexts. Participants in the workshop will be introduced to several alternative methods for performing economic evaluations of vaccination programs for decision makers in these different decision contexts. The workshop will conclude with a general discussion by the participants and presenters of the different methods including how to ensure the availability of credible data.
DESCRIPTION: In this workshop, a brief overview of cost-effectiveness analysis, optimization modeling, and fiscal returns-on-investment modeling for the evaluation of vaccination programs will be presented by Dr Mauskopf. Dr Bloom will then discuss the full social and economic benefits of vaccination and compare and contrast benefit-cost analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis approaches to the rational allocation of resources to vaccination programs. Other approaches, including multi-criteria decision analysis and social welfare approaches will also be discussed, along with corresponding data requirements and opportunities. Examples will also be sketched. Dr Cicchetti will give an example of his work in estimating returns on investment in adult vaccination programs from a government tax revenue distribution perspective. The workshop leaders will then invite the participants to share their opinions on the alternative methods of economic evaluation and their ideas as to how to generate credible information on the benefits and costs to populate the economic evaluation models.
