DECISION AND COST-ANALYSIS IN ACOUSTIC NEUROMA DIAGNOSIS

Demonstrating improved outcomes and cost containment are current healt h care imperatives. For many diseases, competing diagnostic tests are available. Each has a direct economic cost and indirect costs based on missed disease. It is often difficult to determine the most efficient testing strategy for a given patient. Clinical Decision Analysis can optimise diagnostic strategies to maximise cost-effectiveness. Analyti c techniques are developed to allow analysis of diagnostic strategies that include multi-test protocols. The test parameters required for mo delling these strategies are derived from a literature analysis.