title: Health economics and European Renal Best Practice--is it time to bring health economics into evidence-based guideline production in Europe?
abstract: Medical management of patients with kidney disease is complex and resource intensive. In times of limited health care budgets, economic evaluations have become more important over the past few years in identifying interventions with a beneficial cost-effectiveness to maximize the benefits served from the available resources. However, integrating evidence from health-economic evaluations into clinical practice guidelines remains a challenge. European Renal Best Practice (ERBP), the official guideline body of the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) herewith presents some lines of thought that need consideration in the discussion on incorporating health-economic considerations into clinical guideline development.
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics and Intelligent Systems (CeMSIIS), Section for Clinical Biometrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria Department of Nephrology and Transplantation, KH Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria ERBP, European Renal Best Practice, Methods Support Team, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Haller
authors.affiliation: ERBP, European Renal Best Practice, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium Nephrology Unit, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vanholder
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics and Intelligent Systems (CeMSIIS), Section for Clinical Biometrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria Department of Nephrology and Transplantation, KH Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria Department of Nephrology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oberbauer
authors.affiliation: ERBP, European Renal Best Practice, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium CNR-IBIM, Clinical Epidemiology and Physiopathology of Renal Diseases and Hypertension of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zoccali
authors.affiliation: ERBP, European Renal Best Practice, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium Nephrology Unit, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van Biesen
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D019468:Disease Management; D005060:Europe; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*
keywords: clinical practice guidelines