An overview of the perspectives used in health economic evaluations
A perspective in health economic evaluations is defined as the ‘viewpoint’ that needs to be considered to identify the types of costs to be calculated in a study. Calculating the correct cost categories under the specified viewpoint is one of the key aspects of a health economic evaluation. However, there does not appear to be consensus on which perspective should be used in health economic evaluations. Further, in low-and-middle income countries (LMIC) where guidelines and data are sometimes unavailable, defining the perspective and determining the costs to be calculated can be a challenge.
This paper, which is part of a series of papers on health economic evaluations, provides comprehensive information on the different perspectives used in health economic evaluations derived from a review of studies and recommendations from multiple international and national guidelines listed in the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) and the Guide to Economic Analysis and Research (GEAR) website. The perspectives discussed in the study are namely patient/household, health care payer, health care provider(s), healthcare sector, health system, and societal. Additionally, the study also discusses the different criteria and considerations when deciding on a perspective and provides examples with LMIC settings.
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