ABSTRACT
Due to recent technological advances, epidemiological and demographic trends and rising public expectations, the demand for and consequently the expenditure on healthcare services has rapidly increased over the past three decades. Because resources are scarce and cannot meet all demands, it is important to ensure that the available resources are allocated in ways that maximize overall societal benefit. Thus, the decision on which healthcare interventions to use should be based upon an assessment of their benefit in relation to their cost, and this defines the realm of economic evaluation. In particular, economic evaluation is concerned with the systematic comparison of the resource costs and health effects of alternative healthcare interventions, including: drugs, devices, equipment, procedures and organizational and managerial systems.
