Economic evaluations in undergraduate medical education: a systematic review

Objectives Medical education profoundly impacts patients, students, educators and public resources. However, the economic dimensions necessary for informed decision-making remain underexplored. This systematic review examines how economic evaluations are conducted and reported in undergraduate medical education (UME) literature and assesses their quality. Design Systematic review. Data sources Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, ERIC, Google Scholar and the CEVR CEA databases were searched on 13 September 2024. Eligibility criteria Eligible studies evaluated interventions within UME and reported (incremental) costs and effects, employing any method such as cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-minimisation analysis or decision-analytic modelling. Data extraction and synthesis Key data, including study characteristics, evaluation type, perspective, intervention details, sensitivity analyses, cost and effect measures, outcomes, expressions of cost-effectiveness and adherence to economic reporting guidelines, were extracted. Quality was assessed using the CHEQUE tool, and the findings were synthesised qualitatively. Results Of 6559 studies identified, 21 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies reported costs and effects post-hoc within effectiveness trials, with only one decision-analytic modelling study identified. Evaluated domains included instructional methods, skills training, selection and student health. All but one study adopted a payer (university) perspective, and nearly all focused on short-term outcomes. Sensitivity analyses were rarely performed, and no study achieved full quality scores. Conclusions Economic evaluations in UME are scarce and often of limited methodological rigour. A shift towards comprehensive, prospective evaluations is needed to address long-term outcomes, societal perspectives and methodological robustness. Such efforts will enable better resource allocation, enhance the impact of medical education and contribute to a sustainable educational landscape.