title: Cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis of health services: the methodology and its application.
abstract: This methodological review seeks to explain the different levels of economic analysis, whose nature and use are often ill understood. These include analyses of cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit. A numerical practical example of the cost-effectiveness of a breast cancer screening programme is used to demonstrate the techniques used in practice and the types of problems and questions which may occur. The paper concludes that the development of epidemiological and economic models can make a significant contribution to the analysis of the complex inter-relationships which prevail in the health services, and to the identification of aspects crucial for research and decision-making concerning intervention strategies and evaluation of preventive programmes.
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D003625:Data Collection; D003657:Decision Making; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000191:economics; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States