Writing Case Reports : A How-to Manual for Clinicians

Why should applied researchers be concerned with cost-effectiveness analysis? Answer: Because it will enable them to discover if a particular program or policy has attained maximum effectiveness for a given budget. Designed so that an individual can utilize this book as part of an informal course of self-study or in a formal course on the subject, Levin and McEwan provide readers with the step-by-step methods to plan and implement a cost-analysis study. Through the use of numerous examples drawn from the applied literature, the authors explain, demonstrate and illustrate the four major techniques of cost analysis: cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, cost-utility, and cost-feasibility. They examine issues that are pertinent to the choice of analysis and its implementation; the nature of costs, including how to identify, measure, and distribute costs; measuring effectiveness, utility, and benefits; and, lastly the challenges to incorporating cost evaluations in the decision making process.