Introduction 1. In recent years considerable efforts have been made to increase the evidence base for decision making within the NHS. Under the NHS R&D Programme a sizeable percentage of NHS resources have been spent on research, one of the largest programmes of research being in the field of...

Approximately 17.5% of all pregnancies in England are induced. Induction of labour may be required for several reasons. These include hypertension, intra-uterine growth retardation, diabetes, poor weight profile of the mother and prolonged pregnancy. The two principle methods used to induce...

Although economic evaluation in health care has a long-standing tradition in the United Kingdom, very little is known about its impact on decision making, particularly following the introduction of the internal market. Since managed competition appears to be growing in popularity worldwide, the...

In this paper we assess the current state of the art of economic appraisal of health technologies in the United Kingdom. The paper is organised along the lines suggested in the Workshop proposal. Although the main interest of the Workshop is in 'high' technology, such as imaging techniques and...

In the summer of 1990, the Australian government took a major step by requiring evidence of cost-effectiveness of new medicines prior to reimbursement by the public health care system. This paper assesses whether the methodological principles behind the guidelines are sound and whether they...

This report examines the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of screening for diabetic retinopathy by optometrists. There are strong arguments for screening. Diabetic retinopathy is an important public health problem, there is an effective treatment, the natural history of the disease is well...

The objective was to develop an economic prioritisation model to assist those involved in (i) the selection and prioritisation of health technology assessment topics and (ii) commissioning of HTA projects. The model used decision analytic techniques to estimate the expected costs and benefits of...

This paper will concentrate on the use of technology in general practice rather than in primary care as a whole. The following items are discussed in turn: basic medical equipment, minor surgery, diagnostic technology and information technology. The results of a study of the use of fundholding...

The last decade has shown a concerted effort in the UK to find ways of reducing coronary heart disease (CHD), culminating in the recent government target of a 30% reduction in the rates in people under the age of 65 years to be achieved between 1988 and 2000 by modification of the main risk...

Increased efficiency is one of the major objectives of the reforms of the NHS. However, this begs the question of how efficiency will be assessed, since one cannot necessarily assume that the adoption of market principles will automatically lead to efficiency. This paper discusses the methods...