title: Evaluating economic studies in reproductive medicine.
abstract: Healthcare professionals are under increasing pressure to stem the rise of healthcare costs and national healthcare expenditures. This has led to great interest in cost-effective therapy for patients. This article reviews the different types of economic analysis of medical practice and the components of a cost-effective analysis. It also reviews how to evaluate a cost-effectiveness paper and apply it to clinical practice. Economic analysis of a medical practice is a formal and quantitative method of comparing alternative strategies with respect to cost and outcomes. These analyses are frequently poorly performed, limiting their applicability to clinic practice. After reading this review, a physician should be better equipped to effectively evaluate economic analyses.
authors.affiliation: Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City 52242-1080, USA.
authors.forename: Bradley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Van Voorhis
mesh_terms: D003363:Cost Control; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004470:Economics, Medical; D005249:Fees and Charges; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D018456:Reproductive Medicine / Q000191:economics*