Whom and how to treat: weighing the costs and effects.

Abstract

Taking the right decision in health care may be as much an art as a science. However, without exception and whatever the decision, usage is made of scarce resources and they may be used in an alternative way. This implies costs and there comes a time at which the various options have to be assessed in comparison with their effects. Cost-effectiveness aims at informing decision-makers about the balance between the costs and effects of alternative therapies.