title: [Health economics: should it concern the health sector?].
abstract: This paper addresses the most important features of health economics, especially its scope and applications within the sphere of health. Health economics is a field of study which allows countries to gear their health policies toward making more rational use of their resources and expanding and improving their health care services. Such policies should, on the other hand, aim to generate strategies for adequately managing human, technical, economic, and financial resources so as to reap the finest health benefits possible. A knowledge of how economics can be applied to health will enable health professionals to introduce an economics culture into their daily work. In other words, it will allow them to keep in mind the scope of their various working tools--health planning, national health accounts and accounting, and economic assessment methods, which include health and pharmaceutical technology assessment and pharmacoeconomics--as well as the place that economics has in health research. Hopefully, a knowledge of these aspects of economic analysis will provide decision-makers with one more tool they can apply in selecting more efficient options and attaining the highest health benefits at the lowest possible cost for the national health system.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Medicamentos, Ministerio de Salud Pública, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Collazo Herrera
authors.forename: Justo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cárdenas Rodríguez
authors.forename: Roxana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: González López
authors.forename: Rolando
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miyar Abreu
authors.forename: Ana María
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gálvez González
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cosme Casulo
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical / Q000639:trends; D006285:Health Planning / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods