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Equity-informative research methods

This research theme develops 'equity-informative' methods of health services research and policy analysis that provide information about the health inequality impacts of organisations and policies.

Read a summary of our research programme so far:

Projects

Equity indicators

Methods for monitoring the equity performance of local health systems and organisations that are used by the NHS and could be used in other countries.

Equity-informative effectiveness research

Methods for estimating the distribution of programme effects using randomised control trials and quasi experimental designs.

Distributional cost-effectiveness analysis

Methods for analysing equity in the distribution of programme costs and effects alongside efficiency in terms of aggregate costs and effects.

Eliciting health inequality aversion

Methods for investigating public attitudes towards health inequality and strength of concern for reducing health inequality compared with improving total health.

The need for equity-informative research methods

The research methods used to inform health services and policy decision making tend to focus on effectiveness and efficiency rather than equity. Different sub-groups of the population experience different patterns of health risk and disease, exhibit different health behaviours, and live within different social and economic contexts. Consequently, well-intentioned policies that are effective and efficient on average can be better for the health of some sub-groups than others, inadvertently worsening health inequalities.

To strengthen the evidence base for tackling health inequalities, it is necessary to re-engineer existing methods of health services research and policy analysis.

References:

Cookson, R., Skarda, I., Robson, M., & Doran, T. (n.d.). Equity-informative methods of health services research (PDF , 599kb). Journal of Health Organization and Management

Doran T, Cookson R. Re-engineering health policy research to measure equity impacts. In: Evans J, Ruane S, Southall H. Data in Society: Challenging Statistics in an Age of Globalisation. Bristol: The Policy Press, 2019.