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August 30, 2005
Expressions of Interest for an Invitation to Tender, Health Economics Analysis of Physical Activity Interventions: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
Contract: 8 months (+ ~1 week during validation)
NICE wishes to commission cost effectiveness analysis for the assessment of four commonly used methods to increase physical activity: brief interventions in primary care, pedometers, exercise referral schemes and community based exercise programmes for walking and cycling.
Background: On 1 April 2005 the NICE took on the functions of the HDA to form the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), with a Centre for Public Health Excellence (CPHE). NICE is the independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health.
Four physical activity topics were referred to NICE (the Institute) by the Department of Health as part of the 11th wave of work for the development of public health intervention guidance. These will produce recommendations on types of activity provided by local health organisations to help to promote or maintain a healthy lifestyle or reduce the risk of developing disease or conditions (for example, giving patients advice - at home, in GP practices or in clinics - to encourage them to be more physically active . This guidance will provide recommendations for good practice on three of these that are based on the best available evidence of effectiveness, including cost effectiveness. The fourth (brief advice in primary care) is covered by guidance published by NICE based on work carried out in 2004 - 5 by the former Health Development Agency.
A related piece of work, that is tendered separately, is a review of the effectiveness of these four commonly used methods to increase physical activity. This involves critically reviewing, grading and summarising the evidence. Factors that influence effectiveness will be identified, such as the nature of the brief interventions, the socio-demographic characteristics of the population under study, the settings within which the interventions are delivered and the “profession” of the practitioners providing the interventions.
Health Economics Research Aims and Objectives: A key aspect of NICE guidance is the consideration of cost effectiveness. Typically health economics input into clinical guidelines involves critically reviewing and summarising the most up-to-date economic research on aspects of care of specific relevance to the guidelines, and considering the cost-effectiveness of the guidance that is put forward as recommendations for health policy and practice. It is usual practice for there to be dedicated health economic input in guidance development.
The role of the health economist in guidance development is fourfold. He or she:
- helps to identify the public health/prevention issues or questions for economic analysis, through:
- through agreement with CPHE and the effectiveness rapid review contractors
- reviews economic literature, through:
- the preparation of the health economic evidence for presentation to the members of PHIAC at each meeting
- carries out or commissions cost-effectiveness analyses, through:
- the development and use of appropriate economic model(s) and
- provides assistance with the writing of the guidance in areas of cost effectiveness, through:
- attendance at the Public Health Interventions Advisory Committee (PHIAC) meetings (two)
- advice to PHIAC on cost effectiveness matters
The NICE technical manual provides detailed information on standard health economic input into the development of guidance. However, this methodology has to date only been used for clinical topics.
Expressions of interest with full contact details should be emailed to Dr Bhash Naidoo bhash.naidoo@nice.org.uk and the invitation to tender will be emailed by return.
Dr Bhash Naidoo
Senior Research Specialist
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
MidCity Place
71 High Holborn
London
WC1V 6NA
Telephone: 020 7400 0656
Fax: 020 7067 5801
Main switchboard : 020 7067 5800
Website: http://www.nice.org.uk/
