Table 1 Overview of forms of economic evaluation
From: Economic evaluation of implementation strategies in health care
Form of evaluation | Use for decision making | Measurement of health effects | Economic summary measure |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost-consequences analysis | Comparison of implementation strategies that have disparate outcomes | Any measure | Not applicable |
Cost-effectiveness analysis | Comparison of implementation strategies that produce a common outcome | Process measures (e.g., professional guidance adherence, patient compliance to medication) or health effects (intermediate or final), measured in natural units | Cost-effectiveness ratio (e.g., cost per case averted, cost per life-year saved), at patient or population level |
Cost-utility analysis | Comparison of implementation strategies that have morbidity and mortality outcomes | Final health outcomes, including health status, patient preferences, utilities | Cost per quality-adjusted life-year, at patient or population level |
Cost-benefit analysis | Comparison of implementation strategies with different units of outcome (health and nonhealth) | Monetary units | Net health benefit or net monetary benefit, at patient or population level |
Cost analysis | Comparison of net cost of implementation strategies with equivalent outcomes | Not applicable | Net cost or cost of illness, at patient or population level |