Patients with angina pectoris have a reduced quality of life because of their symptoms, impaired activity and anxiety. However, there is no consensus on the best method of measuring quality of life. A systematic literature search of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in angina showed that the...

In Germany, the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) makes recommendations for ceiling prices of drugs based on an evaluation of the relationship between costs and effectiveness. To set ceiling prices, IQWiG uses the following decision rule: the incremental...

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) responds to requests by the Department of Health for guidance on the use of selected new and established technologies in the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales. This paper asks whether the NICE methodological guidelines help...

Despite renewed enthusiasm for the use of willingness to pay (WTP) in healthcare applications, there are still a lot of objections, resentment and scepticism regarding the desirability and feasibility of this technique. Objections can be classified into different categories: e.g. theoretical,...

Objective: The objectives of this study were 1. to develop a conceptual framework for selecting hospitals for unit cost estimates in national and international multicentre trials and 2. to test the impact of alternative hospital selection on the cost results. Design and setting: Within the...

The advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), including protease inhibitors and/or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, for the treatment of HIV infection has led to a dramatic decline of morbidity and mortality. The acquisition costs of HAART are substantial. However,...

Objectives: To measure preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for a novel anaesthetic (dental gel) versus existing anaesthetic options for periodontal maintenance visits. Design: The study was conducted by developing and administering a survey, composed of a modified decision aid and a WTP...