Читать книгу Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics - Группа авторов - Страница 140

The specific costs and benefits that are included in any economic evaluation depend on the perspective that has been chosen for the analysis. The perspective is often that of the ‘healthcare payer’, who is generally only interested in the direct costs to the healthcare system and benefits to the patient treated. Alternatively, a ‘societal’ perspective may be adopted, which will aim to take into account a much wider range of costs and benefits by, for example, including costs that are borne by patients themselves, the income losses patients experience as a consequence of being ill or the wider benefits by reducing demands on social security resources. While the societal perspective may seem more logical and comprehensive, many of the costs and benefits are hard to quantify and/or realise.