Methodology
This page gives links to some useful short reports on methodological topics. The page does not attempt to be comprehensive but gives a selection of relevant publications. Further useful publications can be found in the reference sections of the documents below. We will be adding more methodological reports over time, and would welcome comments and ideas about what topics to include.
Standardisation
The English Eastern Regional Public Health Observatory report INphoRM 6: Standardisation describes and compares the different methods of standardisation.
Information on calculating confidence intervals for standardised rates can be found in the Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) technical briefing 3: Commonly used public health statistics and their confidence intervals. The accompanying excel spreadsheet tool allows you to calculate standardised rates and confidence intervals on your own data.
Confidence intervals
The APHO Technical Briefing 3: Commonly used public health statistics and their confidence intervals includes how to calculate confidence intervals for rates, proportions, means and age-standardised rates and ratios. It also describes the use of confidence intervals i.e. what they are and when they are used, and presents the APHO preferred methods for calculating the intervals for the type of statistics described. An excel spreadsheet tool allows you to calculate confidence intervals on your own data.
Process control charts
APHO Technical Briefing 2: Statistical process control methods in public health intelligence gives a good overview of this topic. Excel spreadsheet tools are available to download to allow you to produce funnel plots using your own data (using counts, crude rates, proportions and percentages, or directly and indirectly standardised rates).
Health inequalities
The ScotPHO report on measurement techniques to help interpret health inequalities covers the different methods for measuring inequalities in health, and has an accompanying downloadable excel spreadsheet tool which allows you to perform the different tests on your own data.
The ISD report on measuring deprivation compares the Carstairs and SIMD measures.
The Public Health Observatory Handbook of Health Inequalities Measurement focuses on the measurement and interpretation of health inequalities.
The Scottish Executive Measuring Inequalities Working Group report (2005) sets out recommendations made by the Working Group on Measuring Inequalities in Health in Scotland.
The Scottish government report titled Measuring health inequalities in Scotland (2008) includes the most up-to-date government recommendations for measuring and reporting inequalities in Scotland.
Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy
See the references in healthy life expectancy section.
The English Eastern Regional Public Health Observatory report INphoRM 3: Life expectancy sets out some of the issues relating to the construction, interpretation and uses of life tables and life expectancy estimates.
Indicators
For a good overview see The Good Indicators Guide: Understanding how to use and choose indicators produced by APHO.
Target setting
APHO technical briefing 4: Target setting in a multi-agency environment looks at key issues to consider when setting targets in a multi-agency environment, including the choice of appropriate methodologies, indicators and statistics, and consideration of the wider political and ethical context.
Health Impact Assessment (HIA)
Information about HIA and a large number of HIA reports are available at the APHO HIA gateway.
Other methodological resources that may be of interest:
The ScotStat Analytical Network are developing an electronic library of analytical guidance material. It is still under development (accessed September 2009) but already includes useful guidance material.
The BMJ statistical notes series contains background notes to a number of key statistical concepts.
The Evidence-Based Medicine "What is …..?" Series provides short bulletins explaining the key concepts behind evidence-based medicine:
What is evidence-based medicine?
What is an NNT?
What is cost-effectiveness?
What are health utilities?
What is a systematic review?
What is a QALY?
Implementing NNTs
What is meta-analysis?
What is quality of life?
What is a Cox model?
What makes a good clinical guideline?
What is clinical governance?
Implementing QALYs
What is critical appraisal?
What is an integrated care pathway?
What are confidence intervals?
What is NICE?
What is clinical audit?
What is PBMA?
Implementing PBMA
What is health economics?
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