Decision Analysis in Pediatric Hematology

Decision analysis is a simulation, model-based research technique in which investigators combine information from a variety of sources to create a mathematical model representing a clinical decision. This tool can be used to address many clinical dilemmas in pediatric hematology for which traditional clinical trials are unfeasible or impossible. This article outlines the basic steps of performing and analyzing a decision analysis tree and describes several decision analyses published in the field of pediatric hematology and how to evaluate and judge the decision analysis literature.