Considering effect sizes within the policy context - Panel 3 Summary

Publication Date: March 5, 2007
Current as of:

Panelists indicated that intervention effects can be translated into financial benefits, but emphasized that this kind of translation introduces an additional form of uncertainty. In addition to the statistical uncertainty reflected in confidence intervals, projecting the long-term benefits of an intervention’s impact requires numerous assumptions. Panelists recommended examining the results of varying key assumptions. A theoretical framework can justify multiple outcomes, however, complications may arise when outcomes are all from the same family. When using a developmental trajectory approach for calculating benefits, it was noted that early outcomes may be difficult to quantify from a financial benefits perspective. Finally, when reporting effect size results, authors should take into account that stakeholders, such as policymakers and the public, have varying levels of knowledge on understanding and interpreting research results.

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