Economic Evaluation, Cost Effectiveness Analysis and Health Care Resource Allocation

Abstract

In the face of limited or scarce resources, how does the health care sector make decisions about what to prescribe or to recommend for patients; how do they decide which new technologies, programmes or service delivery models to adopt; and how do they decide what represents acceptable value for money? The purpose of this book is to provide an introduction to decision analytic cost effectiveness modelling, providing the theoretical and practical knowledge required to design and implement analyses to help answer these questions, models that meet the methodological standards of health technology assessment organisations. This introductory chapter provides an overview of economic evaluation, cost effectiveness analysis and health care resource allocation.