Feasibility of Using Economic Evaluation Evidence in Pharmaceutical Sector of the Iranian Health System: A Stakeholder Perspective

Abstract

Background. Economic evaluation evidence can improve policies and decision-making processes in medicine and health system, prevent wastage of resources caused by trial and error, and facilitate the patients' access to medications. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the feasibility of using economic evaluation evidence in the Iranian pharmaceutical sector. Methods. In this qualitative study, 29 stakeholders selected by purposeful sampling were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. The statistical population consisted of 29 experts in the fields of pharmacology, management, policymaking, and health economics. The inclusion criteria for participants included being employed in decision-making fields, having a minimum of a master's degree, as well as possessing sufficient and comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter. The interviews were analyzed adopting content analysis method, and the data were coded using the MAXQDA 11 software. Results. In order to identify the obstacles and facilitators of the application of economic evaluation evidence in medicine and health system, the study findings were extracted from three main sections (i.e., characteristics of production and extraction of evidence and information, mechanisms and requirements of using evidence, opportunities and benefits of using evidence) and 11 sub-sections of the identification. Conclusion. In sum, implementing all identified facilitators and mechanisms needed to establish a robust foundation was found extremely important for correcting an economic evaluation and evidence-based management. Removing the obstacles to an evidence-based management was also found crucial for creating an enabling environment required to implement the evidence-based practices effectively and for facilitating the production and utilization of evidence sources.