title: Potential inconsistencies between cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses. An upstairs/downstairs socioeconomic distinction.
abstract: This paper indicates that certain economic evaluation methods (cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses) may yield inconsistent results. Along with the lack of formal grounding of these methods in economic "first principles," this finding suggests the possible benefit of greater reliance on the more formally developed method of cost-benefit analysis.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Rittenhouse
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000145:classification / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D017059:Models, Econometric; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors