• Quality assessment reporting c...

*Result*: Quality assessment reporting checklists for microsimulation models: A scoping review protocol.

Title:
Quality assessment reporting checklists for microsimulation models: A scoping review protocol.
Authors:
de Oliveira C; Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.; Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.; Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.; ICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.; Uppsala Health Economics, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Source:
PloS one [PLoS One] 2026 Mar 09; Vol. 21 (3), pp. e0344385. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Mar 09 (Print Publication: 2026).
Publication Type:
Journal Article
Language:
English
Journal Info:
Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):
Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science
MeSH Terms:
Checklist* , Computer Simulation* , Models, Theoretical*, Scoping Reviews as Topic ; Humans
Entry Date(s):
Date Created: 20260309 Date Completed: 20260309 Latest Revision: 20260311
Update Code:
20260311
PubMed Central ID:
PMC12970866
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0344385
PMID:
41801956
Database:
MEDLINE

*Further Information*

*Background: Microsimulation models are computer-based models that can be used to understand how economic agents behave in different situations. These models are used by governments to help them make decisions. However, it is important these models are well built and produce useful information. Reporting checklists can help guide researchers confirm that all the necessary elements are included in a model. There are currently no formal reporting checklists to evaluate the quality of microsimulation models. This protocol aims to describe a scoping review, which will retrieve and synthesise the literature on any existing quality assessment checklists for microsimulation models and/or any literature that provides best practices, guidelines, and/or recommendations around which elements should be included.
Methods: We will undertake a scoping review followed the PRISMA guidelines for Scoping Reviews. We will search MEDLINE, Embase, EconLit, and Web of Science, with an update closer to the time of manuscript submission. In addition, where relevant, we will undertake Google searches and searches on specific journals (e.g., International Journal of Microsimulation) and websites (e.g., https://www.microsimulation.ac.uk/) to complement the database searches. We will extract relevant data on quality dimensions and use a narrative synthesis to describe the recommendations.
Discussion: There are no formal checklists to assess the quality of microsimulation models. Moreover, no scoping reviews have been undertaken on this topic. This work will synthesise any existing recommendations regarding the development of robust microsimulation models. A validated quality assessment reporting checklist will be the first of its kind and thus, fill an important gap in the literature.
(Copyright: © 2026 Claire de Oliveira. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)*

*The author has declared that no competing interests exist.*