BROADENING THE PERSPECTIVE OF ECONOMIC EVALUATION IN HEALTH CARE – A CASE STUDY IN DEMENTIA CARE IN THE UK

My thesis is an investigation of the methods to implement a broader societal perspective in economic evaluation. I proposed two potential approaches that could be used to implement a societal perspective in economic evaluation: An extended cost-per-QALY approach and a CCA-MCDA approach. The investigation was conducted in a case study of dementia care. The case study concerned the evaluation of 4 mutually exclusive options for primary care to early detect people with dementia. I reviewed previous economic evaluation studies in dementia and developed a new cost-effectiveness model for this evaluation. The model provided estimates for costs including health care, government-funded social care, privately funded social care and informal care. Benefits were measured in terms of patient QALYs and carer QALYs. Using the model’s estimates as the initial basis, I applied the principles of the extended cost-per-QALY approach and the CCA-MCDA to implement a broader societal perspective in the economic evaluation in the case study.