Conference Support for the 2008 International Conference on Health Policy Statist

描述（由申请人提供）：卫生政策统计国际会议：争取在方法上达成共识是一个科学会议，重点是卫生政策和研究方法之间的相互作用。它的具体目标是为统计学家，心理测量学家和其他研究方法专家创建一个教育和研究论坛，以交流和建立想法，讨论研究需求，并制定方法挑战的解决方案。该计划的技术领域将分层模型，解决缺失数据的策略，纵向数据分析，倾向评分分析，健康状况测量和评估，改善获得医疗保健和测量护理质量的技术，空间分析，集群随机化和经济评估。这些方法的目的是改善保健服务的结果、质量、获得、成本和利用，以及更好地了解未得到充分研究的人口（包括妇女和少数民族）在精神疾病和其他慢性病临床领域的特殊需要。报告中介绍的数据库包括医疗支出调查和全国健康访谈调查等。除了邀请和贡献的会议，该计划将提供研讨会，旨在提供研究培训和职业发展的教育论坛，研究教师和学生聚集在一起。该计划的一部分将集中在设计，测量和统计进行心理健康服务研究固有的挑战。此外，还将对工具的可靠性和有效性进行研究。演讲中介绍的数据库将包括医疗支出调查和全国健康访谈调查等。会议由美国统计协会卫生政策统计科主办。资金将用于帮助抵消部分会议费用，减少财务障碍，以鼓励更广泛地参与会议，特别是学生和初级研究人员。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The international conference on Health Policy statistics: Striving for consensus on Methods is a scientific conference that focuses on the interplay between heath policy and research methodology. Its specific aim is to create an educational and research forum for statisticians, psychometricians, and other experts in research methodology to exchange and build on ideas, discuss research needs, and develop solutions to methodological challenges. Technical areas of the program will hierarchical models, strategies for addressing missing data, longitudinal data analysis, propensity score analyses, health status measurement and assessment, techniques for improving access to health care and measuring quality of care, spatial analysis, cluster randomization, and economic evaluations. These methodologies are aimed toward improving outcomes, quality, access to, cost and utilization of health care services, as well as toward a better understanding of special needs of understudied populations (including women and minorities), in clinical areas in mental illness and in other chronic conditions. Databases featured in presentations include the Medical Expenditure Survey and the National Health Interview Survey, among others. In addition to invited and contributed sessions, the program will offer workshops intended to provide research training and career development in an educational forum where research faculty and students are brought together. Part of the program will concentrate on the design, measurement, and statistical challenges inherent in conducting mental health services research. Also featured will be studies on the reliability and validity of instruments. Databases featured in presentations will include the Medical Expenditure Survey and the National Health Interview Survey, among others. The conference is sponsored by the Health Policy Statistics Section of the American Statistical Association. Funding will be used to help offset some of the conference costs and reduce the financial barrier so as to encourage broader participation in the conference especially by the students and junior researchers.