ABSTRACT
Interest in and a commitment to "outcomes" is growing. There is general
agreement that "health outcomes" are a good idea but, as yet, no generally
agreed concept of what health outcomes are about. This paper offers a
conceptual framework for the discussion of health outcomes from the
perspective of health economics. It is written for a non-économies audience.
This framework helps clarify the conceptual basis for health outcomes and
identifies an agenda for research and development.
The economics perspective on health outcomes draws on the analogy of the
production process to clarify the relationships between health inputs, processes,
outputs and final health outcomes. Jargon is kept to a minimum and technical
points are expanded in self contained notes. A simple model of the production
of health is described and then developed to include health promotion and non-
health activities which are, nevertheless, beneficial to health. Conceptualising
health outcomes with the economic framework provides the clarity needed to
promote health outcomes and improve the effectiveness of health services.
Doing good in health care is no longer good enough; we need to do better.
Health outcomes are about doing better. So too is health economics. By
making objectives explicit, and by systematic comparison of the costs and
effects or health outcome of alternative means of meeting these objectives,
health economics provides the most useful perspective on health outcomes.