Standards for the Socioeconomic Evaluation of Health Care Services

Over the past decades, health care delivery - once characterized by clearly defined relationships between medical professionals, regulators, and industr- has become much more complex. Traditional roles and relationships are changing and new decision-makers are entering the scene. They bring into the discussion the need for cost containment and the changing perceptions of the public with regard to the risks and benefits of health care outcomes. As benefits of medical care are increasingly questioned and as scepticism and fear of advanced technologies are demonstrated by a growing body of people, decision making must move beyond medical concerns to encompass economic, political, and sociological considera tions. This evolution has also affected the pharmaceutical industry. Public percep tion of responsibility for product safety is no longer limited to regulators and physi cians. Manufacturers, previously unencumbered by social policies, governmental preoccupations, or public expectations, are now held accountable for product safety. As a certain amount of risk acceptance is, however, a prerequisite for the further development of health care goods, it has to be carefully balanced against society'S demand for safety. To weigh risks against benefits, to define acceptable risk, and to exclude what no longer falls within this category remain perpetual challenges. Accordingly, health care outcomes have to be assessed not only from a clinical point of view, but also from an economic and societal perspective. The assessment of drug risks and benefits has become an important political issue world-wide.

Texte du rabat

This book has been designed to provide a lucid introduction to socioeconomic evaluations, which include cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis as well as quality of life studies. It describes the rationale and methods of socioeconomic evaluations, covering both theoretical and practical issues in a way that can be easily understood and applied. A theme that runs throughout the book is the application of these techniques to pharmaceuticals, however, the principles and methods are universal and are not limited to this application.

Contenu
Socioeconomic Evaluations: an Executive Summary.- I: Guidelines for the Evaluator.- 1 Introduction to Socioeconomic Evaluations.- 2 Concepts in Socioeconomic Evaluation.- 3 Types of Socioeconomic Evaluation.- 4 Framework of the Evaluation.- 5 Assessing Costs.- 6 Assessing Consequences.- 7 Adjusting Costs and Consequences.- 8 Issues in Study Design.- 9 How To Assess a Socioeconomic Evaluation.- II: Technical Aspects.- 10 Quality of Life Assessment in Socioeconomic Evaluations.- 11 Decision Analysis.- 12 Utility Analysis in Socioeconomic Evaluation.- 13 Background on Statistics: Fundamental Concepts.- 14 Basic Analytica Techniques.- References.- Postscript: Successful Socioeconomic Evaluation of Health Care Services.- Curriculum Vitae of Authors.