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The Application of Economic Evaluation Techniques to Studies of Palliative and End-of-Life Care

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Care at the End of Life

Abstract

Interventions at the end of life are often complex and by their very nature will give rise to difficulties in identifying, measuring and valuing inputs and consequences for the purpose of conducting economic evaluations. Economic evaluation of palliative care services remains limited due to a number of challenges related to capturing accurate information about all relevant activities and costs, in addition to identifying, measuring and valuing outcomes. Against the backdrop of increased competition for limited resources, however, methods must be developed which overcome these difficulties and accurately measure the cost-effectiveness of these interventions. This chapter will provide a brief introduction to the use of health economics in palliative and end-of-life care, focusing primarily on the challenges in conducting economic evaluations in the area and the alternative approaches and strategies proposed by various researchers to address these difficulties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Health Policy and Management, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Bridget M. Johnston

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  1. Bridget M. Johnston
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Correspondence to Bridget M. Johnston .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. UCL Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit, Principal Research Associate, London, United Kingdom

    Jeff Round

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Johnston, B.M. (2016). The Application of Economic Evaluation Techniques to Studies of Palliative and End-of-Life Care. In: Round, J. (eds) Care at the End of Life. Adis, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28267-1_2

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