Understanding Economic Evaluation: A Policy Perspective for Clinicians

The rhetoric of ‘efficiency’ frames much current debate about how limited health care resources should be used. Clinicians increasingly turn to economic evaluation literature to discern evidence-based claims of ‘efficiency’ or ‘cost effectiveness’ from empty ones. Economic evaluation research is des...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: M Giacomini, J Hurley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1997-01-01
Series:Canadian Respiratory Journal
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1997/858263
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850171352801083392
author M Giacomini
J Hurley
author_facet M Giacomini
J Hurley
author_sort M Giacomini
collection DOAJ
description The rhetoric of ‘efficiency’ frames much current debate about how limited health care resources should be used. Clinicians increasingly turn to economic evaluation literature to discern evidence-based claims of ‘efficiency’ or ‘cost effectiveness’ from empty ones. Economic evaluation research is designed to compare health services on the basis of their efficiency (eg, how well they produce health benefits relative to resource costs). Although economic studies appear throughout the respirology literature, relatively few are complete economic evaluations. Economic evaluation studies serve various purposes, including critical evaluation and persuasive marketing, which produce studies that vary in research agendas and scientific rigour. This paper is intended to serve clinicians and consumers of economic evaluation studies by: introducing economic evaluation research information as a policy making tool; describing the three basic elements and three basic types of economic evaluation (cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, and cost-utility analyses); and reviewing some limitations of economic evaluation information for policy decision making. The usefulness of economic evaluation research for policy making depends not only on the scientific merit of the analysis but also crucially on whose specific concerns the research questions address.
format Article
id doaj-art-9cfa567da34b4ae5978f4d8d1e736c2c
institution OA Journals
issn 1198-2241
language English
publishDate 1997-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Canadian Respiratory Journal
spelling doaj-art-9cfa567da34b4ae5978f4d8d1e736c2c2025-08-20T02:20:18ZengWileyCanadian Respiratory Journal1198-22411997-01-014419019910.1155/1997/858263Understanding Economic Evaluation: A Policy Perspective for CliniciansM Giacomini0J Hurley1Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, CanadaCentre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, CanadaThe rhetoric of ‘efficiency’ frames much current debate about how limited health care resources should be used. Clinicians increasingly turn to economic evaluation literature to discern evidence-based claims of ‘efficiency’ or ‘cost effectiveness’ from empty ones. Economic evaluation research is designed to compare health services on the basis of their efficiency (eg, how well they produce health benefits relative to resource costs). Although economic studies appear throughout the respirology literature, relatively few are complete economic evaluations. Economic evaluation studies serve various purposes, including critical evaluation and persuasive marketing, which produce studies that vary in research agendas and scientific rigour. This paper is intended to serve clinicians and consumers of economic evaluation studies by: introducing economic evaluation research information as a policy making tool; describing the three basic elements and three basic types of economic evaluation (cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, and cost-utility analyses); and reviewing some limitations of economic evaluation information for policy decision making. The usefulness of economic evaluation research for policy making depends not only on the scientific merit of the analysis but also crucially on whose specific concerns the research questions address.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1997/858263
spellingShingle M Giacomini
J Hurley
Understanding Economic Evaluation: A Policy Perspective for Clinicians
Canadian Respiratory Journal
title Understanding Economic Evaluation: A Policy Perspective for Clinicians
title_full Understanding Economic Evaluation: A Policy Perspective for Clinicians
title_fullStr Understanding Economic Evaluation: A Policy Perspective for Clinicians
title_full_unstemmed Understanding Economic Evaluation: A Policy Perspective for Clinicians
title_short Understanding Economic Evaluation: A Policy Perspective for Clinicians
title_sort understanding economic evaluation a policy perspective for clinicians
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1997/858263
work_keys_str_mv AT mgiacomini understandingeconomicevaluationapolicyperspectiveforclinicians
AT jhurley understandingeconomicevaluationapolicyperspectiveforclinicians