Cost-effectiveness analysis involves comparing program costs with actual program outcomes and often uses which unit measure?

Cost-effectiveness analysis involves comparing program costs with actual program outcomes and often uses which unit measure?

• A. Cost per unit health outcome
• B. Net monetary benefit
• C. Quality-adjusted life years
• D. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio

Answer: (A)

Cost-effectiveness analysis expresses value as the cost required for a given amount of health benefit. This framing ties money to a measurable health effect, so you can compare different programs on a common scale. The key idea is to define a specific health outcome unit before analyzing, such as cases prevented, life-years gained, or another tangible health measure. By doing this, you can determine how much money is needed for each unit of benefit and compare options that may affect different outcomes. Net monetary benefit is a way to summarize results using a monetary value for health gains, given a willingness-to-pay threshold—it's about monetizing benefits, not the basic unit of health effect. Quality-adjusted life years are a particular health-outcome measure used in cost-utility analyses, not the general unit of outcome for all cost-effectiveness work. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio describes the difference in costs over the difference in effects between two options, but it’s a ratio rather than the fundamental unit used to express cost per health outcome.

Cost-effectiveness analysis expresses value as the cost required for a given amount of health benefit. This framing ties money to a measurable health effect, so you can compare different programs on a common scale. The key idea is to define a specific health outcome unit before analyzing, such as cases prevented, life-years gained, or another tangible health measure. By doing this, you can determine how much money is needed for each unit of benefit and compare options that may affect different outcomes.

Net monetary benefit is a way to summarize results using a monetary value for health gains, given a willingness-to-pay threshold—it's about monetizing benefits, not the basic unit of health effect. Quality-adjusted life years are a particular health-outcome measure used in cost-utility analyses, not the general unit of outcome for all cost-effectiveness work. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio describes the difference in costs over the difference in effects between two options, but it’s a ratio rather than the fundamental unit used to express cost per health outcome.