Integrating Tech and Behavioral Insights for Enhanced Health Economic Evaluation

About this Research Topic

Background

Health economic evaluation is increasingly crucial for determining the optimal allocation of healthcare resources and informing policy decisions, especially given the constraints of escalating costs and limited budgets worldwide. However, traditional methods for cost-effectiveness and utility analyses often do not adequately account for behavioral factors influencing health decisions nor leverage the full potential of emerging digital technologies. While substantial progress has been made recently—particularly demonstrated by breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning algorithms, and digitally-enabled health interventions—existing evaluation methodologies frequently lag behind in effectively integrating these developments.

Behavioral economics research has highlighted biases, decision-making anomalies, and cognitive factors that significantly influence health behaviors and economic outcomes. Yet, these insights rarely find systematic incorporation into economic models and evaluation metrics, resulting in underestimated benefits, misallocated resources, and less-than-optimal healthcare outcomes. Consequently, there is a clear necessity for advanced approaches that more accurately capture behavioral determinants and exploit innovative technological advancements for precise and practical economic evaluation.

This Research Topic aims to bridge this pressing gap by exploring and developing novel methodologies that integrate advanced technological innovations—such as AI and digital health interventions—with behavioral insights to improve health economic evaluation. Specifically, we seek studies addressing how emerging technologies and behavioral frameworks can jointly enhance the predictive power, accuracy, and validity of cost-effectiveness or cost-utility analyses.

Contributions may propose new analytical frameworks, validate innovative methodologies, or empirically demonstrate improved accuracy in economic modelling through technology-behavior integration. Moreover, the topic seeks to generate actionable knowledge that informs healthcare policy, investment decisions, and resource allocation by offering evidence on how integrated technological-behavioral approaches lead to more sustainable, equitable, and efficient healthcare outcomes.

To gather further research into advancing the integration of technology and behavioral insights within the limits of health economic evaluation, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

1] Application of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques for improved accuracy and predictive robustness in cost-effectiveness modelling.

2] Behavioral economic frameworks to quantify patient decision-making, adherence, willingness-to-pay, and healthcare utilization patterns in digital health environments.

3] Economic evaluation methods tailored specifically for digital health interventions such as remote monitoring, telehealth services, mobile apps, wearables and personalized digital platforms.

4] Empirical evidence demonstrating improved outcomes from applying integrated behavioral-technological methodologies in healthcare policy making and resource allocation.

5] The role and impact of personalized medicine innovations on health economic evaluation, cost modelling, and efficiency analysis.

6] Ethical implications, challenges, and practical considerations for integrating behavioral insights and digital technologies into health economic analyses.

7] Improving healthcare decision-making and resource allocation, ultimately leading to more effective and efficient healthcare and public health systems.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: health economics, healthcare resources, behavioral factors. technological advances

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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