HEALTH-SERVICES RESEARCH CLINICAL-TRIALS - ISSUES IN THE EVALUATION OF ECONOMIC COSTS AND BENEFITS

The costs and benefits of treatment interventions are difficult both t o conceptualize and to measure. This paper discusses methodologic issu es that arise in measuring costs, distinguishing between social costs and transfer payments, measuring the value of life and limb, and asses sing the meaning of cost differences. Long-run vs. short-run costs and average vs. marginal costs are considered. Sensitivity analysis to as sess the robustness of results to alternative assumptions is stressed. Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses are seen as important in assessing the policy implications of clinical trials; a proper cost-b enefit analysis allows the reader to understand how results relate to the assumptions made in the analyses. (C) Elsevier Science Inc. 1998.