Cost-effectiveness analysis

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Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is a form of economic analysis that compares the relative expenditure (costs) and outcomes (effects) of two or more courses of action. Cost-effectiveness analysis is often used where a full cost-benefit analysis is inappropriate e.g. the problem is to determine how best to compy with a legal requirement.

1 CEA in Infrastructure Asset Management
2 CEA in pharmacoeconomics
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] CEA in Infrastructure Asset Management

Cost-effectiveness analysis is commonly used in Infrastructure Asset Management instead of a full cost-benefit analysis where the objective is to sustain the existing standard of service. The replacement or refurbishment of an existing Infrastructure Asset is a good example of this. In effect, the benefits side of the equation is held constant at some pre-determined standard of service, and various options for providing that standard of service are then compared, with the least-cost method identified as the preferred option.

The use of CEA is supported by the benefits identified in the Asset Management Plan where the whole-life cost is also detailed. As such, an indicative benefit-cost ratio is contained within the Asset Management Plan - allowing individual assets to be justified as part of a system of assets. This provides a framework for the safe use of CEA for individual assets.

[edit] CEA in pharmacoeconomics

In the context of pharmacoeconomics, the cost-effectiveness of a therapeutic or preventive intervention is the ratio of the cost of the intervention to a relevant measure of its effect. Cost refers to the resource expended for the intervention, usually measured in monetary terms such as dollars or pounds. The measure of effects depends on the intervention being considered. Examples include the number of people cured of a disease, the mm Hg reduction in diastolic blood pressure and the number of symptom-free days experienced by a patient. The selection of the appropriate effect measure should be based on clinical judgment in the context of the intervention being considered.

A special case of CEA is cost-utility analysis, where the effects are measured in terms of years of full health lived, using a measure such as quality-adjusted life years or disability-adjusted life years.

Cost-effectiveness is typically expressed as an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), the ratio of change in costs to the change in effects.

A complete compilation of cost-utility analyses in the peer reviewed medical literature is available at the CEA Registry Website