ICH
International Committee for Harmonization. Intemational Forum to harmonize regulatory and documentary requirements worldwide.

ICH Guidelines
International Committee on Harmonization. Publishes guidelines on various aspects to achieve harmonization between countries and companies of official documentation, such as clinical trial reports, investigators' brochures, etc.

Ideation
A market research process which involves encouraging respondents to thinking laterally and conceptualize. (see also Synectics)

Image (of a brand or product)
Perceived impressions of a brand, frequently related to abstract associations. May be the result of contrived marketing action or an accident of market perception.

Incidence
The number of new cases of a disease (or event) occurring per time period (usually one year) in a given population. (see also Prevalence)

Incremental Cost
The additional cost of producing an extra unit of outcome.

Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio
A mathematical comparison of two alternative therapies for the additional cost per extra unit of health benefit or outcome produced.

IND
Investigational New Drug. Submission to regulatory body to secure permission to study a new drug in human subjects.

Independent Variable / Independence (see Variable)

Indirect Costs
The value of resources (time, money, materials) lost due to illness or treatment.

Indirect Question (see Research Questions)

Influencer
Any person who can, and does, affect the purchasing decision of an individual or group of individuals.

Instrument
for Health Outcomes instrument - see Health Status Instrument
for Market Research instrument - see Research Questions and Research Interviews

Intangible Costs
Implications of disease or treatment that can not be quantified in monetary terms, mainly pain and suffering.

Integrated Marketing
The bringing together of all marketing communications in order to ensure synergy in terms of common messages, themes, visual identity, response mechanisms and timing.

Interlocking Quota (see Sampling Methods)

Internal Audit
An assessment inside the company of the perceptions they feel external people (e.g. customers) have of the company, personnel and products or services. An internal audit may well be followed by an external audit.

Internal Communications
Informing and motivating existing employees, sometimes referred to as employee relations.

Internal Consistency Reliability
The extent to which the sub-scales of a psychometric instrument are free of random error. It is estimated by the correlation between items that are supposed to measure the same construct.

Intervention (Healthcare)
A procedure, service or program that is designed to improve the health status of individuals or populations.

Interview (in Market Research) (see Research Interviews)

Interviewer Bias
Systematic error arising from the judgment or opinion of an interviewer.

Interviewer Instructions (see Research Questions)