The health economics of palliative care

Palliative care is family-centred care for those with life-limiting illnesses. Contrary to many treatments, palliative care primarily focuses on optimising quality of life rather than extending it. This SIG will help to promote increasing research into the health economics of palliative care, including economic evaluations alongside clinical trials; quasi-experimental analysis using administrative datasets; and qualitative work and choice experiments to provide further knowledge of how of palliative care outcomes can be captured and measured.

Aim

To promote increasing research into the health economics of palliative care, including economic evaluations alongside clinical trials; quasi-experimental analysis using administrative datasets.

Objectives

  • Provide an opportunity for researchers to share work programs to identify areas of overlap (opportunities to collaborate) and gaps (opportunities for new research programs), as well as to minimise duplication
  • Develop a research agenda for the health economics of palliative care within Australia, ideally to be published as a working paper or journal article
  • Develop links to key government and health service stakeholders to understand their issues, and how research can better help to inform their decisions.

  • An online forum on the health economics of palliative care, scheduled for March/April 2024, to bring together researchers across Australia
  • Development of a research agenda for the economics of palliative care, to identify key issues, gaps and research themes
  • Establishment of a database of health economists working in this field
  • Organised palliative care session for palliative care research, and a SIG meeting, at AHES 2024 and/or 2025
  • Research dissemination with government, AIHW and Palliative Care Australia to promote findings from the group’s research, and to understand key issues from stakeholders.

If you would like to join the SIG, please email the conveners:

Chris Schilling at chris.schilling@unimelb.edu.au

Hannah Carter at hannah.carter@qut.edu.au)

Cate Bailey at cate.bailey@unimelb.edu.au

Conveners

Chris Schilling
Chris Schilling
The University of Melbourne

Chris Schilling is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Health Policy at the University of Melbourne, and Co-Director of the Health Economics and Simulation Modelling of Chronic Disease Unit. He is an applied health economist who has worked in senior positions across academia, government and consultancy. Chris uses advanced modelling techniques to influence key public policy decisions around chronic disease, health system reform and palliative care.

Hannah Carter
Hannah Carter
Queensland University of Technology

Hannah Carter is a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation at Queensland University of Technology. Her research program focusses on embedding rigorous economic evaluation within clinical trials and health services research projects. She has a strong interest in the application of health economic methods to palliative care settings. Her current NHMRC Investigator Grant aims to investigate consumer preference and health care resource use at the end of life.

Cate Bailey
Cate Bailey
The University of Melbourne

Cate Bailey is a Senior Research Fellow at Melbourne Health Economics with a focus on economic evaluation and quality-of-life measurement in the health and social care sectors. Prior to moving academia, Dr Bailey worked in Commonwealth and State governments as a senior policy advisor.