Given the increased awareness of the importance of cost-effectiveness in he
alth care, there has been a growth in the number of published economic eval
uations in recent years. Partly in response to concerns about deficiencies
in the methodology of published studies, there has been a growth of interes
t in guidelines for economic evaluation. This paper reviews the various obj
ectives of economic analyses, and then summarizes the existing groups of gu
idelines for cost and cost-effectiveness analyses. Finally, it compares and
discusses the appropriate uses and limitations of the guidelines, with par
ticular emphasis on those developed for applications in developing countrie
s.