Have you received a new global health economic model? It has a slick dashboard and fancy graphs. And best of all, you only need to fill in a “few” local input parameters, and it should work and be accepted in every country in Europe, right?

Well, as you know, most of the time, this is not the case. Here is why?

1. Treatment guidelines and clinical practices vary between countries. Therefore, the structure of most models requires at least some country adaptations.

2. Epidemiological data of the local population, like disease prevalence or incidence rates, are different from the global inputs. And to keep things interesting, countries report them slightly differently.

3. Local key opinion leaders suggest that the results of the global trial might not be transferable and acceptable in the context of their healthcare system. Adjusting the model according to their feedback, and influencing their opinions, might require several meetings.

4. Local cost data needs to be collected. The availability may vary; some data are readily accessible, while others are not. Also, the composition of cost data can vary significantly. Addressing exchange and inflation rates might also be necessary.

5. Lastly, the local regulations are different, even within the EU. The global model may require a lot of adaptations to reflect the local regulations and reimbursement practices.

How about hiring freelance health economists to do the country localisation for you?

They speak the language, know their local requirements, and are familiar with, and have access to, local data sources and treatment guidelines. At EuropeanHealthEconomics .com, we have a pool of freelancers ready to assist you with the country localisations.

Interested in exploring this further? Please get in touch with us to discuss how you can start with the freelance health economists.