Abstract

ROJAS DIAZ, Laura Marcela et al. Indirect comparisons: Tool for decision-making in health. Rev.Colomb.Reumatol. [online]. 2013, vol.20, n.3, pp.128-140. ISSN 0121-8123.

Abstract For the development of health and economic policies in the health system, it is necessary for decision making is based on evidence. The development of new technologies for health care has increased in recent decades, allowing the appearance, fastest growing, multi-drug alternatives for handling the same pathology, given the number of interventions is essential to compare all relevant specially through controlled clinical trials, to evaluate and determine the best alternative in terms of benefits, fewer side effects and costs. However, due to the absence of this type of study due to its high cost, indirect comparisons of treatments such as networks of meta-analysis and mixed treatment comparisons provide a useful tool for selecting the best treatment option. This review provides guidance on the interpretation of indirect comparisons, methods, assumptions, validity, analysis methods, benefits and limitations in order to provide sufficient tools for proper decision-making in health.

Keywords : Evaluation of the efficacyeffectiveness of interventions; Indirect comparisons; Network meta-analysis; Mixed treatment comparisons; Meta-regression; Bayesian methods.

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