ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses upon the demand and supply of healthcare in terms of the benefits and costs it yields for individuals' and populations' health. It describes the key steps necessary for undertaking and understanding economic evaluation. The book discusses the data which are available at the national, secondary care and primary care levels. It examines the concept of utility measurement and utility-based measures and their use in economic evaluation. The book also examines some of the techniques for obtaining preference-based measures for health benefits or outcomes. It revisits the definition of natural units and their importance in economic analysis. The book looks at the advantages and disadvantages of collecting one's own data on resources or using preexisting datasets. It explores the health economic information in a UK setting.
