Product Description
Meta-analysis, decision analysis, and cost-effectiveness analysis are the cornerstones of evidence-based medicine. These related quantitative methods have become essential tools in the formulation of clinical and public policy based on the synthesis of evidence. All three methods are taught with increasing frequency in medical schools and schools of public health and in health policy courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. This book is a lucid introduction, and will serve the needs of students taking introductory courses that cover these topics. It will also be useful to clinicians and policymakers who need to understand the quantitative underpinnings of the methods in order to best apply the information that derives from them. The second edition of this popular book adds new material on cumulative meta-analysis as a method to explore heterogeneity. The coverage of cost-effectiveness analysis has been brought into close alignment with recommendations of the U.S. Public Health Panel on Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Health and Medicine. Many of the examples have been replaced with more current examples, and all of the material has been updated to reflect recent advances in the methods and the emergence of consensus about some previously controversial issues. analysis. These three closely related methods have become even more important for synthesizing research since the first edition was published in 1994. And they have gained legitimacy as tools for guiding health policy. In the Second Edition, Petitti has added new material on cumlative meta-analysis and the exploration of heterogeneity, incorporated recommendations for standardizing the conduct of cost-effectiveness analysis, and updated the rest of the text.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 5 reviews)

This book is excellent for students just begining by Wang Weijia (China)

5 Stars
January 13, 2009
I don't want to be a persuader, but this book is excellent for those who just begin to have interest in pharmacoeconomics. This book can explain a lot of mathmatics problems for you. Have I typed a wrong "math" just now?

excellent introductory text

5 Stars
June 22, 2008
The text provides an in depth introduction into the meta-analysis, decision analysis, and cost-effectiveness analysis. The examples are helpful and practical. Shortcomings and limitations of the techniques are reviewed. The book achieves a good balance between theory and practicality.

Best guide for analysis by Lehigh History Student

5 Stars
December 19, 2006
There are several ways to do analysis of the health care industry but this book covers the big three. Cost Effectiveness is the most useful from a business standpoint. This book covers the math and theory behind each of these methods and gives strong arguments for how to write in each of them. As a health and pharmaceutical economist I found this book to be invaluable. It is written very clearly and helps sort through many of the issues especially meta analysis. If you are starting out in the health analyst field this is a must read and a book you will want to have handy at all times.

An excellent introductory text by Michael Huncharek MD, MPH (Stevens Point, WI United States)

5 Stars
February 05, 2002
Meta-analysis, as both an applied and theoretical science, continues to develop from its rather humble beginnings. Since most physicians lack a strong background in quantitative science, rigorous statistical approaches to clinical decision making have been slow to gain widespread support. Despite its limitations, meta-analysis is proving to be an important vehicle for making sense of the increasingly overwhelming amount of published data in the biomedical sciences. Petitti's book goes a long way in demystifying meta-analysis for the rank and file and also serves as an excellent introduction to the field for the more statistically literate. Most of my own work is in meta-analysis and I bought the book exclusively for this content and not information on decision analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis. I do not mean to minimize the importance of the latter but rather point out my own narrow interest in the Petitti text. The book is well written and concise. Petitti "cuts to the chase" explaining the theory underlying meta-analytic methods and provides many useful examples from the medical literature. The text is easy to follow, understandable and well balanced. A thorough reading should leave the reader well prepared for further exploration of applied meta-analysis as well as capable of articulating its strengths, weaknesses and future direction. Overall, Petitti's text is an excellent place to start for those interested in learning the fundamentals of "research synthesis". The book is also an extremely handy references for the more experienced practitioner. I highly recommend it.

clearest yet description this topic

5 Stars
July 08, 1997
In a forest of mirky and arcane descriptions of a field that has come to dominate medical research and policy making, this book stands out for its clarity. Dr. Petitti speaks a language that normal people can understand. She avoids jargon and frequently uses quantitative examples that make it easy to plug in your own problems and directly apply her lessons to your tasks. This is easily the best book in print on this topic

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