title: Applications of cost-effectiveness analysis for evaluation of health care programs.
abstract: Increasing pressures to justify health services on the basis of cost-effectiveness have resulted in a flurry of economic analyses by providers, policymakers and researchers. In what follows we attempt to briefly describe the rationale for performing cost-effectiveness analysis, summarize the basic analytical steps involved in performing a cost-effectiveness analysis, and describe some of the common pitfalls encountered when conducting cost-effectiveness analyses. An annotated list of references is included for further reading.
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006296:Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States